A Rose's Love
by LingShiao
Summary: Kurama's finally falling in love...but at the completely wrong time. And who are those 2 demons bent on harming Kurama and the people he cares about? Memories of a friend resurface...but was he really all he seemed? UNDER SEVERE RECONSTRUCTION!
1. To Avenge Kuronue

Uhhh...I was rereading this story and I realized how much it really really sucked. I mean, the plot was good but the grammar and word usage left something to be desired. SO I'm redoing it. Okay. Bear with me on this long and tedious journey of self-improvement! And review! REVIEW YOU SCHMUCK!

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I'm not sure what it was about her that caught my eye. Maybe it was her raven black hair with just a hint of auburn highlights. Or her alluring sapphire blue eyes. Or the way she laughed with her friends. Not Kuwabara's raucous braying however. If that had been the case I'd have walked away and never given her a second thought. No offense, Kuwabara. Her laugh was that of someone who had never felt severe emotional or physical pain before. It was sweet and innocent, its delight contagious. It brought back so many memories of a love long past, of a devotion from centuries ago. But I forced myself to feel nothing for her. I had vowed never to let anyone besides my Reikai friends to get close to me. Never will I forget the danger my mother and Maya have been in. Anyone that close to my heart and with no powers to speak of would be easy targets for the many that wish harm on me. I would rather die before I let anyone I cared for be at such risk.

Chapter One: To Avenge Kuronue

Centuries had passed since the demon thief Youko had met and fallen in love with the princess Mirakuru. Events had continued as Mirakuru prophesied: Youko had indeed met another who he could come to trust with his life and confide in. Sadly, that person had been taken from him as well, on a heist that'd gone horribly wrong. Then, one fateful night, Kurama had gotten too cocky, and an unknown mercenary shot him down. His last thoughts were that he must continue living, in the hopes that one day, Mirakuru would come back to him. And so, in his weakened and desperate state, he sank so low as to steal the body of an unborn human child. All this so he could meet Mirakuru again. When he thought he'd found her in Maya, a horrible truth was revealed. Anyone closely associated with him was in imminent danger, and could be abducted to torture him. So, he decided to isolate his heart and never allow himself to love anyone with the same passion he had felt for Mirakuru. Her memories would be the only love he'd feel, or need. That was what he'd thought ever since the battle with the eight armed demon, until today.

Now, on present day Earth, or Ningenkai, eighteen years after Kurama had begun his new life under the alias of Shuichi Minamino, Kurama had just boarded a train. It was rickety and dirty, its compartments full of dust. The faded black leather seats were cracked with age, and the only light came from a meager lightbulb that dangled from the ceiling and swung wildly with the train's jolting movements. _Why_ Kurama wondered, _was Koenma so cheap that he couldn't even afford to send his Tantei a decent train?_

In the eighteen years he'd been on Earth, Kurama's true identity had been discovered three years ago when he stole from Koenma's palace an artifact to save his mother. As a type of penance, he joined the supernatural detective agency known as the Reikai Tantei, who solved cases for King Enma and his son, Koenma, who ruled Reikai, or Spirit World.

"Hello? Earth to Kurama, come in Kurama!" Botan chirped perkily, waving her hand in front of his face. Her aqua ponytail bounced jauntily behind her and her pink eyes glimmered happily. There never seemed to be a dull day for Botan. She was always happy and talkative. It was as if she wanted to make everyone as vivacious as she was. Ironically, she was known to many as the _Grim_ Reaper.

"Wha?" Kurama said abruptly, jolted out of his reverie. He hurriedly shoved his waist-length crimson hair from his eyes. It jutted up at odd angles, adding to his boyish charm. His long rust-colored sideburns trailed down, just barely touching his shoulders. It took him a few moments to figure out he was on a train bound for Reikai, not in the park watching the girl who'd mystified him, something no one had been able to do after Mirakuru. Usually, he was the most calm and clear-headed of the group. What was wrong with him today?

"Penny for you thoughts, Kurama. Thinking of a girl?" Yusuke grinned, already scheming up a way to play matchmaker. The mischievous ex-delinquent's coffee brown eyes gleamed, almost as much as his heavily gelled jet black hair, which he wore slicked back. Yusuke was the unofficial leader of the little supernatural detective gang. As luck would have it, Yusuke was the most hot-headed and impulsive of them all.

"What on earth, heaven or hell made you think that!" Kurama replied defensively, trying to deny what was obviously the truth. Why else would he be up in the clouds? It was no use trying to oppose it any longer.

"Hah! Liar. Spill it! Are you finally gonna answer one of those love letters?" Kuwabara demanded, his face looming above Kurama's and looking a little bit scary. Kuwabara was arguably the worst member of the team, but he had a heart of gold to make up for his less than handsome face. His hair was a lighter hue than Kurama's, more orange than actual red, and it curled inwards narrowly, like a carrot. "I mean, come on now, how ironic is it that the hearthrob of Meiou High is _alone_ every Valentine's Day?"

"How do you know I'm alone every Valentine's Day? Do you stalk me! And I was _not_ thinking of a girl!" Kurama shot back. "I was-"

"Well, I think it's good that Kurama's found a girl he really likes! Everyone deserves a soulmate!" Botan interrupted, the prospect of a romance blossoming before her eyes making her even more chipper than usual.

"Oh really. Then why don't you date? Huh, Botan?" Yusuke said cattishly.

"That's beside the point! Anyway, I can't date! I'm a Reikai ferry girl! It goes against taboo!" Botan snapped. With that, the three of them started arguing, Kurama and his. . . soulmate, forgotten.

Kurama was about to breathe a sigh of relief at everyone's short attention spans when he was cut short by a bad-tempered, tough, merciless, intimidating, yet painfully short fire demon.

"SHUT UP!" Hiei roared from his seat next to Kurama. They'd all ignored Hiei up to now, for he hadn't spoken a single word since they boarded the train. Unfortunately, they were more than sure that even though Hiei was silent, he was making up little insulting remarks at their every word. The petite powerhouse only had respect for those more powerful than he, and even then, it was a resentful respect.

Now, instead of lounging with his feet propped up on the table, he was standing on the table, katana in hand. "Shut up, all of you. You're giving me a pounding headache. If things don't get a lot quieter in the next five minutes I may be forced to throw you out the window and leave you lost forever in oblivion."

He glanced at the three offenders, and a rare smile twitched on his face as he surveyed Kuwabara's shocked expression. He hardly ever showed any other emotion besides anger or hate, so it was possible Kuwabara was shocked at his smile, although he probably wasn't. Poor Kuwabara was frozen in motion, balanced on one foot, hands in the air in some sort of strange fighting stance. Yusuke had fallen out of his seat, landing on his head, and Botan was sitting straight up in her seat, stiff as a board. Kurama seemed to be the only person unaffected by Hiei's outburst. Then Hiei promptly sat back down and closed his eyes as if nothing had happened.

His hair matched his personality to a degree that it was almost scary. It stood straight up like fire, and seemed to flare even more when his temper ignited. But, in contrast to the jet black locks, white highlights symbolized the equally stunning change of heart whenever it came to people he truly cared about, such as his twin sister, Yukina.

Yusuke was the first to break the uneasy silence. "Why the hell are we on this stupid train anyway?"

"Yeah, I was supposed to be on a hot date with Yukina. . ."

Hearing Yukina's name, Hiei opened his eyes again. "You try anything on her and you will taste my blade. Safe to say, you'll know what a turkey feels like at Thanksgiving." He brandished his katana, then sheathed it again as if he decided Kuwabara wasn't worth his time. "Answer the baboon's question, Botan. Why are we on this desolate train?"

"Truth be told, I have no idea. My guess is Koenma had a new mission for you."

Their arrival at Koenma's palace was less than peaceful. The train screeched to an abrupt stop, jolting everyone forward and out of their seats. The single light bulb used to light the dingy compartments swung violently and threatened to fall from the ceiling and smack Hiei on the head. They were greeted warmly by George, the blue ogre-secretary thing. He led them to Koenma's office, where they were to be briefed for the mission.

"To put it simply, you're on a manhunt." Koenma said gravely. "Two high security convicts have recently escaped. Right now they're lower A-class, but with the demonic items they've stolen, who knows what they're capable of!"

"Wait, you mean that freaky sword, the talking mirror, and the shiny ball are missing again?" Kuwabara groaned.

"No, you hideous orangutan. He said demonic, not spiritual." Hiei snapped.

"Thank you, Hiei," Koenma interjected wryly. "As I was saying, the missing items are the Takai Spear, and the Mermaid's Tears. The spear emits a deadly reiki when thrown, and its known to kill people within a 10 mile radius from the spear's actual path of flight. Its target is instantly incinerated. The tears are a powerful serum, but what the serum does depends on the soul of the user. Like for Hiei it'd probably be a poison . . . Anyway, we know next to nothing about our fugitives. Only that they are out to avenge a certain Kuronue." As Koenma said those last words he looked straight at Kurama, who had gone white as a sheet.

"Kurama, I suggest you keep one eye in front of you, and one eye behind, watching your back. As hard as it may be, keep a distance from those you care about." Koenma cautioned him.

"We can take care of ourselves!" Kuwabara exclaimed indignantly.

"Not us! Koenma means Kurama's gotta stay away from his girlfriend!" Yusuke said, disgusted at his best friend's stupidity. As punishment, they all whacked Kuwabara upside the head.

"I don't have a girlfriend!" Kurama protested instantly. "And, the two prisoners couldn't have meant the same Kuronue." Kurama declared firmly. "He had no ties to anyone, except me."

Koenma simply pushed a button, and the gigantic screen above him flickered and began playing a video. The picture was grainy and dark, static occasionally interrupting the feedback. But it was clear enough to project this stunning and gruesome image:

The tape showed two dark, shadowy figures fleeing the ruins of the jailhouse. They stopped directly in front of the camera, as if they wanted to be caught on tape. The laughed, as though proud of the gruesome scene they had created. The bodies of the guards were strewn across the floor. Some lay in a pool of their own blood, others were missing limbs. All looked like they had died a long and painful death. The shorter of the two convicts spoke: "Kuronue, you taught us everything. Your murder will be avenged." The other one nodded in agreement and spoke in a deep voice that was amazingly regal for a convict, "Youko, you left Kuronue to his death. For that, we will show no mercy."


	2. A Girl Named Miracle

The next morning Kurama walked around aimlessly. Almost without his mind's consent, his feet trailed around, rounding street corners and absentmindedly bringing him closer and closer to the park he'd seen _her _at two days ago. The events of yesterday were still in his mind, fogging his senses. He still couldn't believe Kuronue had other allies, ones that he'd never heard of.

Then he heard a familiar sound. It was a girl laughing. And not just any girl. _It was **her**, the rose in the garden of weeds that was his. . ._he stopped himself, thinking, _What the hell am I doing?_ But that sound kept haunting him, and he couldn't keep away from it. Almost involuntarily he found himself following her. The gravel crunched beneath his feet on the crisp autumn day. Leaves swirled around his head, and the sun was concealed behind a shroud of gray fog. The day matched his mood perfectly. It was as though the sun had chosen to brood with him.

The mysterious maiden stopped at a park for lunch, and as she sat down on a picnic blanket she turned her gaze directly to Kurama.

"You can come down from there now!" she called to him.

What? Kurama thought frantically, almost falling out of the tree he was sitting in. He scrambled for a handhold, and found one without rustling the leaves _too _much. _How did she see me? Maybe if I just stayed still . . ._

Kurama thought frantically, almost falling out of the tree he was sitting in. He scrambled for a handhold, and found one without rustling the leaves much. 

"I know you're there! You've been following me for the past hour! Come and have lunch with me! I made it myself so I know it's good!" She called out again, gesturing at the bento she'd brought with her.

After a few moments of debate, Kurama reluctantly jumped down and introduced himself. "I'm Shuichi Minamino. Sorry I scared you."

Now that he could see her closely, it became clear just what had attracted him to her in the first place. She looked stunningly like Mirakuru, save that her eyes were a clearer blue, and had lost that stormy look. But, her smile was still cocked slightly, and her long onyx hair was still held back by a royal blue headband. Kurama wasn't sure what this resemblance meant, but it was enough to pull him back into a sea of memories, some of which were painful, but most were of a time he'd miss for the rest of his life.

"Oh, you didn't scare me. I was flattered, actually." The girl replied unworriedly.

"Really . . . ?" Kurama asked incredulously, taken aback by her casual and trusting manner. _Just who is she that she's not afraid of stalkers?_

She grinned widely. "Yep. My name is Mirakuru Tsukihana. I just moved here, and I go to Sarayashiki High. Do you go there? Sorry if I never noticed you before. But it's such a big school, and I'm so bad with both faces and names . . ." She grinned again, sheepishly this time.

Hearing her name caused his heart to sting with another pang of longing. What trick was fate trying to play on him? He smiled to cover his thoughts, hoping none of them had played across his face, and replied, "No, I don't go to Sarayashiki. But do you remember anything about a Youko Kurama?"

Mirakuru thought for a few moments. Something tugged at her mind, but the more she tried to reach for it, the more it faded away. It was like waking from a pleasant dream, and trying to recall just what it was you were dreaming of, only to find you don't remember. She was forced to say, "No, I can't say I do."

Kurama let out a mental sigh. It was just his luck to think he found Mirakuru's reincarnation, only to discover it was but an imitation. He should have known by the way she was so trusting. Mirakuru had always been cautious around people she didn't know. Or maybe she'd simply been raised that way? Was this her true self? No, impossible. He couldn't bear to have his hopes rise again, only to be crushed.

"Oh, okay. I was just wondering because Mirakuru is obviously not a common name and used to have a friend with that same moniker. I was simply trying to see if you were my long lost acquaintance. Anyway, I don't go to Sarayashiki, but several of my friends do. Have you heard of Yusuke Urameshi, Kazuma Kuwabara, and Keiko Yukimura?"

Mirakuru still wanted to reflect on her earlier deja vu, but since Kurama's reaction made it all too clear that he'd rather not talk about it, she didn't pursue the subject. "Oh, you mean the two punks?" she asked with a half grimace, picturing Yusuke flipping Keiko's skirt, and Kuwabara challenging Yusuke to yet another street brawl. "_They're_ your friends!"

"That's them. But underneath that tough exterior, they're very kindhearted idiots." Kurama weakly attempted a pun.

Mirakuru giggled appreciatively, and replied, "Keiko's the perfect one, isn't she? How can someone be so pretty, talented and smart, and not be a total bitch because of it? She's so nice, it's because of her I was on time for my classes."

"That's Keiko for you. I'm not surprised that Yusuke fell in love with her. The surprising thing is that she loves him back!" They both laughed, and the awkward feeling that accompanied their first few words to each other quickly faded away.

It was to be an afternoon to remember. The fog cleared up, and the sun shone furiously. The surrounding trees cloaked them in vibrant hues of sunfire orange, their leaves drifting down nonchalantly, dancing to a silent rhythm. The birds chirped their charmingly uncoordinated melodies with renewed vigor, and the serene gurgling of a nearby fountain mingled with their voices.

Mirakuru wondered at the strange feeling that had taken root in her mind. It was like a rapidly growing flower, blossoming with every moment she spent with Kurama. Her heart had started pounding wildly, and a strange heat was rising in her cheeks. And somehow, even though they'd just met, she felt as if she knew him. She felt as though she could tell him anything. It just felt so _right_, somehow, being with him. What was her heart trying to tell her?

"Is something wrong?" he asked.

Without realizing it, she'd stopped talking and left him waiting for a reply.

"Oh, no." She stuffed a piece of sushi in her mouth and chewed it furiously, her heart racing. _Should I ask him to the Autumn Ball? Why not? I hardly know anyone else, and with the way we met, this could be a once in a lifetime opportunity. I feel as though I know him from somewhere. Could this be the fairytale ending I've been hoping for?_

She swallowed her sushi in one big gulp, and blurted, "Umm . . . Uwancomdancewime?

Kurama settled for looking politely puzzled. "What?"

Blushing furiously, looking as though she'd love to melt into the ground, Mirakuru took a gulp of air and began again. "There's a dance at school on Friday. You wanna come with me?"

Kurama choked on his sushi and had a small coughing fit. "Yaa wha!"

"Oh, I'm sorry. I should've known you had a date to the dance. Or a girlfriend." Mirakuru's smile wilted like a dying rose.

"I don't-"

"Then it's me you don't like? I just thought because you were following me-oh never mind. I'm being stupid." Mirakuru's happy mood evaporated like the earlier mist, and she seemed to shrink before his eyes.

"I-" Kurama began again, trying to get a word in edgewise.

"I'm sorry. I have to go now." she started to pack up the remains of lunch, looking so downcast that Kurama let his guard down for one crucial second.

"I do like you, I don't have a date, and WHY THE HECK DOES EVERYONE THINK I HAVE A GIRLFRIEND!" Kurama exploded.

Mirakuru smiled again and replied gleefully: "Well, you do now, don't you?"

Before Kurama realized fully what he'd gotten himself involved in, she walked off, her steps light and bouncing. And she was singing a silly little song about love.

Then she stopped abruptly, turned back and gave Kurama a hug. Before he could say another word, she was on her way, waving until she was out of sight.

"Don't have a girlfriend, my ass." Hiei had appeared out of nowhere standing at Kurama's side.

"Well, y'see, she. . .uhh. . .we're not really. . .I don't like her that much. . ." Kurama stammered, searching his mind for a plausible explanation.

"Don't lie to someone with a Jagan. You made her really happy. Her whole aura was glowing an especially revolting shade of pink. She _reeked _joy and all those other _sweet_," Hiei spat out the word as though it was poison, "emotions. And not that I really care, but weren't you supposed to stay away from people close to you?" Then Hiei, satisfied that Kurama now felt like a total, godforsaken, brainless _idiot_, teleported to who knows where, leaving Kurama to wage a mental war.

The thing that annoyed him most was that deep down, he really wanted her to ask him to that dance. And now, he was kicking himself mentally for saying yes. What abominably stupid part of his conscious mind had led him to this? How was it that years of restraining his emotions had all been wasted, dispelled by one whom he hadn't even known for more than a few hours? Did he want to get her killed? There was no way he was going through with this. But she'd be crushed.

He could barely drag himself through the week's classes. Just when he thought he'd found an escape from his problems, it led to an even bigger one. Why was fate so cruel? Was this to be his atonement for his sins in the past life?

"What am I gonna do?"


	3. A Girl Named Miracle pt 2

YEEE! Tha third chap! Hahahaha I kept all of ya waitin hella long fer this! Sowwie...But school has been killer. ALTHOUGH...I managed ta snag straight A's fer tha first quarter! YEEEE:)))) heheh. Nd fer future reference, I said "YEE" long before it became "ghetto". XP

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Kurama was standing right outside Mirakuru's house, still debating whether to go through with this or to call it off. He raised his hand to ring the doorbell, and frowned. What was he doing? He took a steadying breath, braced himself, and rang the doorbell. "Mirakuru, I-" He frenetically perused his mind for an even halfway believable excuse, but even the far-fetched ones were few and far between.

Then he got a good look at her. She stopped him in his tracks. He instantly forgot how to speak, who he was, who she was, and what they were doing here. Unable to think of something witty to say and not knowing what else to do, he pulled a white rose from his hair, and presented it to Mirakuru.

Her gown was made out of Asian silk, which glittered midnight blue in some lights, and electric blue in others. It complimented her eyes beautifully. It hugged her form, but spread out when it reached her knees. A narrow slit started at her lower thigh, and the fabric draped against her, swirling into delicate creases like a billowing midwinter wind. The fabric gathered into a rippling wave at her feet, the feathery ruffles like a misty waterfall.

She wore no jewelry save for a moonstone pendant in the shape of a crescent moon encircled by multicolored stars anddangling moonstone and sapphireearrings. She smiled as she accepted the rose, and twined it into her hair, which was done in an elegant twist with wisps dangling loose. She seemed to be completely transformed from the shy, awkward girl who had so gingerly asked him to be her escort.

Kurama offered her his hand with the air of a prince leading his cherished bride. She took it gracefully, and allowed him to lead her to his red Ferrari (couldn't resist...X3). She slid into the passenger seat, taking care not to soil her dress in the gutter. Kurama, being a gentleman, closed the door behind her before getting into the car himself.

They arrived at the Autumn Ball shortly after it began. The orchestra of voices was instantly extinguished when they entered the room, a hush fell over even the most determined gossips. Rumors flew about how the ever famous Shuichi had actually come. And with the new girl, no less! Mirakuru held her own regally under a constant stream of questions, and tried to fend off her sudden "popularity by association". Watching her, Kurama realized her simple dress, free of almost any decorations, in comparison with the others made him think of a flock of peacocks. The peacocks' vibrant, gaudy colors begged for admiration. But Mirakuru was a radiant, refined heron, who knew she was beautiful and needed no approval from the crowd.

Kurama had barely rescued Mirakuru from the paparazzi when Yusuke spotted him. He'd choked on the punch he was drinking and started waving his hands madly, looking a lot like a monkey wearing a tie.

"Looks like that guy over there is trying to get your attention," Mirakuru commented lightly, glancing at Yusuke, who was now jerking around, trying to signal to Kurama: 'Get over here! Who's the chick?' Unfortunately, he looked more like he had a nerve disorder. He was also holding a cup of punch in his hand, and consequently spilled much of it on the floor. Everyone within two feet of him took a giant step backward.

Kurama arched his eyebrow at Yusuke, and replied: "Riiight. I'd better go see what the poor apoplectic wants before he hurts himself like last time. Will you be okay alone?"

Mirakuru smiled charmingly. "Yea, I think I can handle myself."

Seeing the multitude of gossipy twits begin to inch toward her, she edged toward Keiko, and the two of them began chatting. "You're over here with Kurama, right?" Keiko asked, figuring that was a pretty neutral subject.

"Kurama who?" Mirakuru asked blankly.

"Uhmmmm . . ." Keiko stalled. _Good going! You almost blew his cover! OH, why can't I think of an explanation? _"Er . . . ."

Out of the corner of her eye, Shizuru noticed Keiko fumbling for an explanation, and apparently coming up blank. She decided to intervene. She'd been looking for an excuse to ditch the other chaperones anyway. Hanging at the chaperone's table with them made her feel old.

"It's Shuichi's middle name." Shizuru interrupted smoothly, covering up Keiko's mistake.

"Shizuru! I didn't know you were here!" Keiko exclaimed in relief.

"I'm chaperoning." Shizuru replied. "But that's off subject. You're here with Kurama, aren't you?"

"You guys call him by his middle name? Weird, but okay. And yeah, I'm here with him." Mirakuru said, quickly getting over her confusion and eager to make a new friend. "And what's up with that guy Kurama's talking to? That's Yusuke, right?"

"Yup, that's my date, the one and only Urameshi. . . who is currently spitting punch all over the floor. Excuse me while I go discipline him." Evidently Kurama had told Yusuke something rather astounding, because Yusuke had indeed spit out the punch he was drinking. Everyone around him had taken another giant step backward.

Then Shizuru burst out laughing, and as Mirakuru stared at her in confusion, gasped: "Oh my god, is that Hiei!" She pointed to a small figure standing in a corner, looking absolutely terrifying. He was giving everyone and everything in the room his trademark death glare. No one dared to come within ten feet of him, but instead had clustered around him, shooting him furtive glances and whispering behind their hands.

"I can't believe he's the other chaperone! But there could be only one reason for him being here." Shizuru glanced around, and pointed to a blue haired figure next to Kuwabara. "Yup, just as I suspected. There's Yukina right over there."

"That's her! What's she doing with Kuwabara! Did she lose a bet?" Mirakuru yelped in surprise. Then she flushed a bright red. Her mouth had gotten ahead of her mind, and she'd spoken without realizing that Kuwabara was Shizuru's younger brother.

"Nope. She's here of her own free will, believe it or not." Shizuru grinned and added, "Don't worry. My little bro may not be the handsomest guy out there, but what he lacks in brains and looks, he more than makes up for in heart."

Mirakuru chortled at Shizuru's good natured crack. Then, with a loud static crackling, the D.J. yelled into his microphone,

"**Alright people! This is the last dance, so make it a good one!"**

I've devoted my heart to the Moon.

Even though I shouldn't, I told you my feelings.

You are forever in my heart.

A slow romantic song started playing, and couples started pairing up on the dance floor. The lights dimmed to a dusky ochre, and the rainbow tinted strobe lights waltzed slowly, in time with the gentle beat of the flowing music. The music itself was not full of bass, but calm as a flowing stream, or as a gentle breeze wafting amid clouds. It was dreamy and wistful, reminiscent of days long past. A lone singer's voice, expressive and sweet, rang out clearly.

Thank you for giving me courage, 

Thank you for showing me love.

Kurama made his way to Mirakuru, gently jostling his way to her. He stood out from the crowd like a roguishly elegant fox amid glorified dogs. He put his arms around her waist almost tentatively, as though he was afraid she would shatter like a delicate crystal. She smiled happily, and a soft blush swept across her cheeks. She reached up and wrapped her arms around his neck. She leaned her head against his chest and breathed in the sweet smell of roses, his long hair lightly brushing her face. Together they swayed slowly around the dance floor, and for a few short moments, everything was right with the world.

With you at my side I want to 

Walk the long and winding road of Destiny, 

Strive for the mountaintop.

With you at my side, I realize I am in Love.

The song's last strains faded away, and the crowds of people slowly dispersed. Kurama took Mirakuru by the hand and warmly led the way back to the car. They drove home in silence, but it wasn't uncomfortable or gauche at all. It was a contented silence, like the both of them knew that the other accepted them, loved them without condition, or expecting to be loved back.

It seemed as though time would stop, and the both of them would be trapped in the ride home for all of eternity, to be prisoners of heaven evermore. But, reality never deserted them, and under a sparkling crystal moon, Kurama pulled up to Mirakuru's house.

He opened the door for her again, and she stepped into the breezy night air.

She stepped onto her porch, then paused and faced him again. "It's not like you're the first guy I've liked, but this feeling I get around you, it's . . . different, somehow. I feel safe with you, like when I'm with you, nothing bad could ever happen." She smiled, and turned to go inside her house.

But something stopped her. Perhaps it was the moonlight, shining so brilliantly. Maybe it was the stars, raining their sparkling untainted light. Or was it the cool autumn breeze, so innocently wafting among them, carrying with it the scent of late blooming flowers? Possibly it was mere fate, sweeping its never ending course, showering down its serendipity. Whatever it was, it lured the two closer and closer together, until all that filled their sights were each other.

Kurama became lost in Mirakuru's alluring sapphire eyes, blazing with curious innocence. Or was it hope? This inexplicable, unnamed emotion shone and flickered in her royal blue depths. The unsolved mysteries locked away in her past, the ever evasive notion that there was something he did not understand. They beckoned to Kurama, and though he resisted with all his might, it was inescapable, like the entrancing song of a siren.

Kurama's emerald green gaze in turn enthralled Mirakuru. But they were by no means simple, hard jewels. They were like an ancient, timeless forest, each infinite path winding through his thoughts and feelings. All those secrets, unshared knowledge, and myriad of dreams drew her closer and closer. She also sensed a fleeting notion of danger around him, something that told her she should not be with him, and should run at all costs. Something that didn't fit in about him, suggested something ethereal that she could find no reason for. It instinctively repelled her, yet lured her closer every moment she had with him.

Soon, all reason fled their minds and their lips lightly brushed together. Anything they'd felt before was nothing compared to now. An almost alarming storm of emotions raged through them, each fleeing as soon as it arrived. No, it was not a very long or intimate kiss, but it was all that was needed to signify that two people had fallen in love that night.


	4. A Light in the Dark

-1GYAHH. I just noticed some inconsistency with my other fic, this one's prequel. Shoot. I made Kuronue the crown prince in this one, but that would make him already alive during Youko's time . . . meaning if all or most of the Elves were killed in that huge battle, (Kuronue would've been there, being the responsible warrior prince he is) then how the hell would Kuronue have met Youko? Darn. -.-; okaye. How can I fix this?

In the hours following the kiss Kurama couldn't remember a time during his life on Earth when his heart had been so free of burden. He'd even driven around aimlessly, with the radio blaring, too ecstatic to think or even remember where he was going. But the happiness was as fleeting as the attention span of a hamster, and as soon as he arrived at his house all his worries came crashing back down on him.

"God, what have I done?" Kurama moaned, remembering the kiss. He'd been nothing short of elated a few hours ago, but as always, grim reality set in just when his happiness was at its peak. "Do I want to get Mirakuru killed or what?" Questioning his sanity, Kurama climbed in his bed and tried to sleep. He lay there for a full hour, and when he finally did sleep, his dreams or rather, nightmares, were full of bone chilling screams. He woke in a cold sweat several times from the ever more gruesome horrors that filled his subconscious thoughts. Each time he awoke, he shuddered, then realized he was in his bed, trembling.

Outside in the trees, a rustling sound woke Kurama from his fitful sleep. When he looked down he saw nothing but the slight swaying of leaves in the wind, but with the night he'd been having he decided not to take chances. Silent and moving as stealthily as a fox he summoned his Rose Whip. He tensed as he heard it again. Breathing slowly and telling himself to relax, he vaulted the windowsill and landed lightly on the ground. He caught a flash of movement of the of the corner of his eye. The muscles in his arm tightened as he swung the whip with a grim preciseness.

"Nyah aaahh!" Botan yelped, jumping out of the bushes. She had seen the Rose Whip coming and dove for cover.

Kurama was forced to do an awkward pirouette to keep from slicing her into perfect halves. "Botan!" He exclaimed in utter shock. "You nearly gave me a heart attack!" He gasped, taking deep breaths as his heartbeat slowed back to a normal rate.

"I surrender! Don't kill me!" an unceasingly peppy voice yelped with just a touch of sarcasm. A leaf-covered Botan crawled out from underneath a bush. She propped up her chin with her elbows and gave him a wide grin. "Glad to see me?"

"What're you doing here! And why didn't you just fly up to my bedroom window?" Kurama stared at her, bewildered.

"I did, and almost died. You attacked me in your sleep!" Botan replied indignantly, placing one hand on her hip and pointing an accusing finger at Kurama.

Kurama chuckled sheepishly as Botan recounted her oh-so-valiant effort to get up to the window:

She had ridden her oar up to his window, doing merry circles and spirals in the frosty night air. The first nights of autumn always made her feel energized. Cyan blue ponytail bouncing, she tapped on the window pane. Kurama mumbled something incoherently and rolled over, wrapped in his blankets. Botan commenced to wage war with the window. After an exhausting struggle to get it open, she called out softly, "Kurama! Kurama! It's me, Botan!" Kurama then rolled over again, reached out one arm, and blasted Botan with a gust of wind. She tumbled off her oar and landed in the bushes, resulting in the crash that woke Kurama.

"Well, anyway, one of our targets has appeared in the abandoned Senjouku building. Yusuke and Kuwabara are already there." Botan explained, "and I think Hiei is too, though you can never tell with him." She added as an afterthought. The mission briefing done, Botan then summoned her oar, which appeared with a slight _pwip_, and hovered a few feet above Kurama's head. "I'm going back to Reikai. Koenma will meet you back here when the battle is finished."

Wishing against all odds that this had nothing to do with Kuronue, Kurama started toward his car, then decided against it. Stealth would give him a definite advantage. Not to mention he could probably run faster than the car could go.

"SHOT GUN!"

"Spirit Sword!"

The two charged their opponent, who was wearing a dark cloak, and carrying a large curved sword. The silhouette simply grinned malevolently and threw off his cloak, revealing a glowing white countenance and pearly snow white robes. The specter drew a large half circle in the air, leaving a glowing white trail. He brought his finger back, forming an arrow, which he fitted into the bow. "Crescent Moon Arrow!" The arrow dissipated Yusuke's shot gun blast as though it was mere mist, and shot straight through his arm, pinning it to the wall.

"URAMESHIIII!" Kuwabara screamed, his voice laced with concerned fury. Muttering curses under his breath, he charged the ivory wraith.

Yusuke clenched his teeth against the pain, trying to ignore the blood trailing down his wrist. He raised his left hand for another shot gun blast. Ignoring Kuwabara, the ghostly apparition let fly another arrow at Yusuke, pinning his other arm to the wall. Then he turned his sight to Kuwabara, and using a single arrow, pinned both his hands to the wall.

"Fist of the Mortal Flame!" Out of nowhere Hiei leapt and slammed his fist against his opponent's face. He stumbled back, then regained his footing and transformed his bow and arrows into a sword. Using the newly formed sword, he launched a furious attack that even Hiei couldn't avoid. Hiei was thrown against the building, and crashed through the first and second walls. The third wall crumbled and caved in on top of him. He emerged from the rubble, shaken, but otherwise unharmed. Hiei, swearing viciously, drew his sword, and merged with it the dark fires of hell.

It seemed the two were evenly matched, all that was seen of them were two blurs, one black and one white. At first Hiei had the upper hand, but then the luminous shadow slowly backed him into a corner, and was about to kill him when Kurama appeared at the scene.

"Rose Whip!" Kurama lashed out, and wrapped his whip around the figure's neck, meaning to suffocate it. Throughout all this, the specter's face had never shown any expression, but when its eyes found Kurama, its lips curled into a slow smile of recognition.

Then, in the blink of an eye, the wraith grabbed the whip and used it to slam Kurama against the ground.

"DAAMMIIT!" Yusuke roared. Fed up with struggling to free himself, he blasted the whole wall with reiki. It crumbled, and dislodged the arrows imprisoning him and Kuwabara. Reeling with pain, the world seemed to swim before his eyes. He fell to his knees, but forced himself to get up. Kuwabara did the same. They glanced at each other before setting off at a stumbling run to where they could hear the sounds of a raging battle.

Hiei meanwhile, stabbed the silhouette with his sword, but he barely flinched. The sword had cracked on impact with his glowing white skin. The ghastly sorcerer frowned, and sneered: "Such weak opponents. Is this what Koenma is relying on?" With his peripheral vision he saw Yusuke and Kuwabara stagger into the building. Yusuke aimed a feeble shotgun blast at the apparition. "Pitiful." He smirked mockingly as he turned it away with a flick of his wrist. Then he raised his hands and let loose a powerful energy blast that sent all four of his opponents flying.

Hiei righted himself practically in midflight, and was the only one to land on his feet. Using one hand to balance himself, he skidded on the musty floor, stirring up clouds of dust until he came to a stop. "Damn!" He roared. Out of the corner of his eye he saw the figure escaping. On impulse, Hiei grabbed one of the sword fragments and hurled like shuriken it at the glowing white figure. The sword fragment did nothing to harm him, but it cut his belt, knocking something that appeared to be a gleaming white gem onto the floor.

"What the hell was that thing?" Yusuke growled, trying to staunch the blood still flowing freely from his hands.

"I'm not sure. Let's get to my house, I can heal your hands quite easily." Kurama replied soothingly, examining Yusuke's and Kuwabara's wounds.

Hiei meanwhile, had walked over to the fallen object and was turning it over in his hands.

_The vial of Mermaid's Tears, _he realized with some surprise.

"Hey shrimpy!" Kuwabara yelled. "You coming with us or what?"

Hiei rolled his eyes and walked over to Kuwabara and the rest of them.

"Hiei, why'd you throw that piece of sword back there?" Yusuke asked, trying to move his fingers, but failing miserably. Kurama had bandaged them with a special plant leaf, and now it was all but impossible to move his hands. Even worse, it looked like he was wearing fuzzy lime green mittens. Kuwabara's wounds were less severe, all he needed was some salve . . . that stung like the flames of hell.

"Maybe you need to get your eyes checked. It would take an idiot to miss the pearly glowing thing hanging on his belt."

"Aww, is someone a Mr. Sourpants because he lost the fight? Maybe he needs a hug. . ."

Yusuke started toward Hiei, but Hiei shot him a look that froze Yusuke on the spot.

"Shut up Yusuke. At least I'm not the one wearing fuzzy green mittens," Hiei retorted.

"They're bandages! And answer my question! Why the hell did you have a hissy fit and throw the damned piece of sword!" Yusuke yelled frantically.

Hiei cocked an eyebrow. "I'd have told you already if you didn't keep interrupting."

Too pissed for words, Yusuke sprang at Hiei. Fortunately, Kurama and Kuwabara had been anticipating this, and leapt up as well, shoving Yusuke back on his seat. Throughout all this, Hiei hadn't moved an inch, or even acknowledged Yusuke.

"Look." Hiei pulled the Tears out from his pocket, and shoved it in front of the other's noses.

"Indeed. That is the Vial of Mermaid's Tears." Koenma said, popping up behind Yusuke.

"GAH!" Yusuke popped up like a rocket and hit the ceiling with a crash, then fell back down with a jarring thump.

"Beautiful, Yusuke. Anyway, George finally came up with some information about our villains. That glowing white guy was the reincarnation of an Elven prince. You see, back when King Enma defeated the Netherworld there was another band of heroes fighting for our side. They were the elves, people who kept peace on the Earth. It was thought that they were all massacred during that Great War, but evidently, the royal family found enough power to make sure that they and some of their people would be reincarnated. The princess, heiress to the throne, is living somewhere here. She is characterized by captivating sapphire blue eyes. Not just average blue eyes, but mysterious eyes that seem to hold an ocean of secrets. Sound familiar?"

"That sounds like the girl you took to the dance. What's her name again? Mira. . .I don't remember. But it was a Mira-something, right?" Kuwabara asked, cocking his head and cursing himself for being so hopeless at names.

"Mirakuru. . ." Kurama murmured, lost in thought.

"Right. You guys obviously know her. Anyway, your mission has another angle now. You must protect her at all costs. That glowing elf and his demon partner wish to revive all the elves and lead them in a war against the human world and spirit worlds, believing that they were responsible for the death of Kuronue, the crown prince. They plan to assassinate the princess, so that no one could challenge their authority, and to give the elves another reason to wage war on the people they once protected." Koenma stood, and was about to step into the portal that would take him back to Reikai.

Hiei stood as well, and tossed the Mermaid's Tears at Kurama before leaping through the window.

Kurama caught it deftly and turned it over in his hands, studying it. He turned to Koenma and said, "That's Hiei's way of saying, 'Hey, you forgot this.'"

Koenma reached out to take the Mermaid's Tears, then stopped. He shook his head and replied, "I have a feeling that before this is over you're going to need that way more than me."


	5. No Such Thing As A Happy Ending

OMG. I am SO sorry! I don't know how the hell it happened but a chap from Omokage got mixed up with a chap from Rose's Love and GAH! To anyone who read the wrong chap, I am crazy sorry.Here's the right one.

* * *

Two days after the attack, things slowed down to an excruciatingly sluggish pace. Time itself seemed to have ground to a complete stop. It was almost spooky, as if whatever was attacking them was trying to lull them into a false sense of security and doing a very poor job of it.

But, even an eerie respite was better than constant, battering attacks, so the everyone decided to take advantage of it. Yusuke had taken this opportunity to drag Kurama and Kuwabara to a ramen stall for some spontaneous counseling. He was supposed to be celebrating his and Keiko's one year anniversary, but he'd chickened out at the last minute.

He slid into the most discreet booth he could find, right next to the bathrooms, with the air of an FBI agent, all exaggerated stealth. Kurama followed him with a slightly indulgent grin, while Kuwabara sat across from them, muttering to himself.

"So what's the deal?" Kuwabara grumbled.

"How the heck am I gonna ask Keiko to marry me?" Yusuke groaned. He buried his head in his hands and mumbled: "Maybe I should just move to another country."

"Just tell her how you feel! She won't care how you do it as long as you're sincere." Kurama replied, patting Yusuke on the head. "Not to mention that marriage is probably out of the question, considering how you stood her up today."

"You think you've got a problem!" Kuwabara growled. "Try Hiei giving you the evil eye every time you get within three feet of the girl you love with all your heart and soul."

Yusuke and Kurama winced, half amused, while picturing Kuwabara cowering in front of a massive Hiei.

Kurama turned back to Yusuke and said, "First you have to apologize to Keiko for standing her up today. What does Keiko like?" He put on a contemplative face. "If she likes flowers, roses, big white lilies, and sakura work well. If she likes candy, chocolate could show how sweet you think she is. Jewelry is always good. Go for white gold, and save yellow gold for the wedding. Or stuffed animals. . .but if you really want to show her you care get her a teddy bear wearing a necklace holding a box of chocolates and a flower."

Yusuke started whacking his head on the table again. "Where am I gonna get enough cash for all that! Ahh. . ."

Kurama laughed a little and patted Yusuke's back. "I don't see why you're worried! I mean, you're only 17, not even old enough to get a marriage license!"

"But it's been one year and I can't even imagine going out with anyone else! So if I feel like that, how do you think she feels! Before you know it she'll be dropping hints and everything!" he replied thickly, his response muffled.

Kurama shook his head, torn between wanting to laugh and exasperation at Yusuke's insecurity.

"What about you, Kurama? How are things with Mirakuru going?" Kuwabara asked innocently, as if Yusuke having an episode was part of his everyday routine. "You must be worried out of your mind for her."

"I am," Kurama replied, taken momentarily off guard. "But only as her friend!" he amended quickly.

"You liar. You're just don't realize your true feelings yet. Tell me, how do you truly feel about her?" Kuwabara pressed.

Kurama sighed. It was clear that Kuwabara wasn't going to let the matter drop. And knowing Kuwabara's mule-like tenacity, he'd be pestering Kurama forever. "Alright, ok. To be truthful, I'm not sure what I feel for her. It's different than what I feel for you and the rest of the Reikai Tantei, and similar to what I feel for my mother, but still very different."

Kuwabara nodded sagely. "Well, it's like this. There are three kinds of love. The love between friends, like what I feel for Yusuke, you, and maybe even Hiei. Well, ok, maybe not Hiei. Then there is familial love, like what Hiei feels for Yukina, and what I feel for Shizuru. Finally, the strongest of the three, intimate love. Like what Yusuke and Keiko share." Kuwabara paused for a moment.

During this pause Kurama began to wonder if he'd misjudged Kuwabara all these years. Could there really be the makings of a philosopher beneath that coarse exterior?

"Or what Yukina and I share. Oh, Yukina. . ." Kuwabara sighed, a dreamy expression on his face.

Kurama grinned at Kuwabara, who was currently all starry-eyed and in another world altogether. He shook his head, a bemused expression on his face. _I guess once a Kuwabara, always a Kuwabara. _

But what of him and Mirakuru? He hadn't called since the night of the dance. He'd even gone out of his way to take another route home, for fear of coming across her at the park that seemed to be her favorite haunt. _After that night when I kissed her I decided never to see her again. It was for her own well being, I told myself. But this new angle of the mission gives me an excuse to see her again. So why do I feel so reluctant? _Kurama wondered.

Later that evening, just as Kurama was returning home, the phone rang. At first he ignored it, slightly apprehensive. He wasn't sure what he'd tell Mirakuru if she asked to see him. He was scared, terrified, actually, of what would happen if he allowed himself to be with her again. If one night had led to . . . _that_ . . . then just how far would his feelings escalate the next time?

He hesitated as he walked past the phone. His hand hovered above it, and his fingers closed around it just as it stopped ringing. But if he hurried . . . he might catch her before she hung up. He gritted his teeth. _Get a GRIP!_ He didn't pick up the phone up. That was it then.

He turned and began to leave. Then, the phone started to ring again. He simply stood there for several moments, listening to the insistent ringing of the phone. After the fifth ring, it stopped again. _Ok. If she leaves a message, I'll pick up._

"Kurama? Hello? You there? Haven't seen you around much lately. Just checking up on you, wondering why you've disappeared off the face of the earth. Uh, yeah. OK. I'll be going then."

Suddenly, almost without his consent, Kurama's arm shot out and grabbed the phone. He pressed the receiver to his ear and all but yelled, "Hello?"

"Oh! Hey. What's up? Why didn't you pick up the first time I called? Did you just get home or something?"

Kurama noticed that she didn't bother identifying herself. Did she feel that comfortable with him? Not that she needed to, however. He'd recognize her voice anywhere. "Uh, yeah. I just got home."

"Oh, cool. Er, sorry, I know you just got home, but I wanna ask you something."

"Ask away," Kurama replied as nonchalantly as was currently possible.

"Not what I meant. I want to ask you face to face. Can we meet at the park? Under the maple tree, you know, the one we had lunch underneath, that one day when you were stalking me." She said the last few words teasingly, as if to allay some sort of tension.

"Uh. Ok. Sure. I'll be there in fifteen minutes," Kurama answered haltingly, wondering if he'd regret this decision later on.

Mirakuru wove in and out of the grove of maple trees, wondering why she'd been so stupid as to tell Kurama to meet her under a specific tree that she herself might not be able to find. All the trees looked more or less identical. She leaned against one, deciding just to take a wild guess. She stared up into its canopy of sunset orange leaves, listening to the other people talking and laughing. She wondered briefly if she'd ever be like them. Free. She shook her head, as if to clear it of the depressing thoughts.

The sun was just disappearing over the horizon. The birds had stopped singing, she realized. Bored, she ran her hand over the tree's coarse bark, listening to the fountain. Unexpectedly, she felt her soul lift with an inexplicable and inextinguishable hope. This was the right tree.

Kurama arrived at the tree several minutes after Mirakuru. He, too, had gotten lost, but tracked Mirakuru using her reiki. It was the same, unmistakable jewel blue as the ocean. He found her staring off into the distance, leaning against the tree. The wind was blowing stray wisps of hair around her face, and Kurama was overwhelmed by a sudden wave of nostalgia. His heart clenched up, and sank into his stomach. How long had it been since he'd seen his own Mirakuru wait for him, posed exactly as she was?

He drew in a quivering breath and strode up to meet her.

When Mirakuru saw him, she smiled wordlessly and took his hand.

The stars had just risen, and twinkled innocently above their heads, just as they had eons ago. It was the night of the new moon.

"I love the new moon," Mirakuru said, as she gazed up into the sky. "It symbolizes hope, a chance for a new beginning."

Again Kurama was assaulted by memories of the real Mirakuru. She, too, had wanted a chance to relive her life, to repair all the mistakes she'd made, comfort those she'd hurt, and take those opportunities she'd let slip by. She had told him she wouldn't care if she wasn't a princess anymore, if it meant she could relive her life without restrictions, in peace. The two were so alike, Kurama didn't know how much longer he could convince himself that his Mirakuru was still dead.

Kurama gave a pained smile, pulled a rose from his hair and presented it to Mirakuru.

She smiled back and blushed shyly. "I never get tired of that magic trick. But Kurama, do you love me?"

"Why do you ask?" Kurama replied. He wanted to avoid answering the question, and at the same time he wanted to scream out: 'Yes! Yes!'

"I want to know," Mirakuru faltered. She took a deep breath and continued. "I want to know if that kiss meant anything. Did it?"

Avoiding the question, Kurama hastily changed the subject. "Did you know that in ancient times, there was a law that stated if a young couple kissed, they must be married?"

"Answer me. Kurama, do you love me, or not?" Repeated Mirakuru relentlessly. "I'm sorry. I should have told you this from the beginning. I'm in an arranged marriage. If I don't find someone who loves me by the next full moon, the marriage contract is permanent. I . . . I don't want to marry someone I do not love!" she said, shaking her head emphatically. "I've dated many others in the past, and however many times I thought I was in love, it never worked out. But with you, I thought for sure I'd find a happy ending. So tell me the truth, do you love me or not?"

By now Kurama was sure that this was his Mirakuru. She wasn't the same person he knew centuries ago, but then again, hadn't he changed as well? His feelings had revealed the truth that his mind refused to believe. This wasn't a new love. He wasn't able to love anyone other than Mirakuru, not in the same way, with the same intensity.

_Mirakuru, I wish I could tell you how I feel. But I can't. Not now, not ever. I'm sorry. _"N-no. I don't." Saying those simple words was the hardest thing he had ever done. He clenched his fists, praying he was doing the right thing.

"So this is how it ends. Just like every other romance I've had a part in. For a moment, I thought we really had a chance. But I was wrong." Mirakuru said, her eyes brimming with tears. Her voice shook.

She could have slapped him. He might've felt better if she did. But she didn't. She simply looked at him, her eyes full of tears that didn't fall, giving him a few moments to take back his words. When he didn't, she turned on her heel and walked away, without even saying goodbye. Only when he couldn't see her expression anymore did the tears overflow.

"I was wrong." Kurama murmured as he watched Mirakuru leave. In his eyes welled the regret that his stoic expression hid. "You've been through more than I can ever imagine. And yet you can still find the courage to trust and love again. Oh, Mirakuru, I'm sorry."

With that, Kurama turned and walked back up the path, alone.


	6. Power Revealed

Authoress's Note-

(sob sob) Kurama and Mirakuru are meant for each other, yet I can still find a way to make them break up. (blows nose and shoves huge pile of tissues into trash can) I'm alright. I can do this! Oh, you've got to vote! Whaddya think about a sequel? So, email me or review with the vote, either works, my email's in my profile. So, REVIEW AND VOTE YOU SCHMUCK!

Somehow, despite his plans to stay home and wallow, stuffing himself with at least a quart of Ben & Jerry's Mint Chocolate Chip ice cream, Kurama found himself at Genkai's temple, sipping a cup of oolong. Crammed into Genkai's low-ceilinged Japanese-style tearoom were all the people that made up the Reikai Tantei, and all those affiliated with said people. Still somewhat groggy from getting no sleep at all the prevous night, and wondering vaguely how everyone managed to fit in the cramped room, a bleary-eyed Kurama gave them a stumbling account of what had happened.

"YOU _WHAT_!" Yusuke, Kuwabara, Keiko, Shizuru, Botan, Koenma, George and Hinageshi exploded, bellowed, screamed, groaned, shrieked, cried, gasped, and yelped, respectively. Very few of Genkai's teacups survived this shock.

"PUUU!" Puu complained, ruffling his feathers.

"But Kurama, why?" Hinageshi asked, feeling empathy for Mirakuru even though they hadn't met.

"Exactly. Why did you do that, Kurama?" Genkai asked, calmly sipping her tea. (hers was one of the few cups that were still intact)

"We could never be together the way she wants and deserves. All I can offer is a life of danger," Kurama sighed miserably.

"Uh, hellooo?" Yusuke replied, tapping Kurama's head. "She's a princess! She'd be in danger anyway!"

"But if our mission goes as planned, she will never have to face her past." Kurama protested.

"She loves you Kurama. And I know you love her back. Surely it wouldn't hurt anyone if you only told her." Yukina said kindly, an innocent smile lighting up her face.

"Exactly!" Kuwabara was positively beaming. "And that's why I'd like to tell you IMINLOGGRFRZLEST!" Shizuru had silenced him with a teacake.

Kurama smiled gently at Yukina and replied; "Yes it would hurt her. She wants nothing more than to be with the one she loves, and it's breaking her heart that she can't." Maybe this way she can forget about me and find someone better suited for her. I can't help it if fate is not in our favor."

"Love. Interesting how such a weak emotion can bring even the strongest warrior to his knees." Hiei snorted as he stepped into the room.

"Since when have you been there Hiei?" Botan asked.

"Long enough to know that Kurama screwed up." Hiei folded his hands over his chest and assumed a look of mixed pity and disdain. "Do you know how hard it'll be to complete the mission with our closest tie to Mirakuru severed?"

"Kind and caring as usual, eh?" Genkai said sarcastically.

Hiei shot her a withering look. "Hn."

Genkai only raised her eyebrows and sipped her tea.

"Whatever. Ogre! Show our Tantei what you found in my files last night." Koenma snapped his fingers imperiously.

"Yes Koenma sir. Our glowing white elf. . .thing's name is Kusari Hateru and he's actually listed _twice_ on our most wanted list. Yup. His demon partner's name is Yakunan and he used to be a bounty hunter . . . But then he teamed up with Kusari, who he was supposed to kill, by the way, and they make an almost unstoppable team. It was only thanks to Genkai we arrested them, but due to the recent events and how easily they broke past our defenses, we're beginning to think their capture was all part of their master pla-ack!" George yelped.

Koenma swatted George again with a rolled up newspaper. "Idiot, I only wanted their names!" He squeaked indignantly, red-faced at George's nonchalant exposition of just how thick the Reikai government was.

George bowed apologetically, as always. "Sorry, Koenma sir."

"Well, anyhow, I declare this re-rebriefing over!" with that, Koenma and George poofed back to Reikai.

"Wait, this was a Tantei meeting?" Kuwabara wondered, scratching his head.

Kurama passed the rest of the morning tending to his garden. Puttering around, transfering this, potting that, watering one thing, fertilizing another, kept him from thinking about what the others had said, and what he'd done the previous night. He allowed the mosaic of flowery fragrances to still his thoughts, and to calm his ever-racing heart, and to lower his ever-rising blood pressure.

DING-DONG.

The doorbell caught Kurama completely off guard, and he started, his pruning scissors completely missing the dead branch he was attempting to prune and instead snipping a perfectly healthy rose bud in half. He groaned, and got to his knees with the sluggishness of ageriatric old man. Come to think of it, he truly _did _feel as though he'd aged decades in the space of ten days. Tugging off his thick gloves, he trudged to the door and yanked it open.

"Kurama, before you shut the door in my face, I just want to say I'm sorry about last night. So can we still be friends?" said Mirakuru in one big rush. She smiled hopefully, and looked straight into Kurama's emerald green eyes.

Kurama felt an intense surge of elation within himself. He nodded, relieved that he would still get to see Mirakuru even if it was as friends, not lovers. "No, I should be the one apologizing. I should not have let something like that scare me away." Now it was his turn to smile.

He opened the door wider and stepped aside, inviting her in. She had barely moved one step when she drew in a sharp breath. An arrow had struck the ground with a jarring _thunk, _narrowly missing her feet.

Quickly, Kurama stepped in front of Mirakuru, shielding her. Knees bent and tense, ready to spring, he scanned the sky with eyes sharp as a hawk's, searching for the elven archer he knew was there. A gray mist enveloped the city slowly, and it was as if all life had ground to a stop, except for Kurama and Mirakuru. Lightning bolts of energy sparked from the mist, casting fleeting pools of eerie yellow light and illuminating the strange emptiness.

Then Kusari appeared,perched on top of a building, a shadowy figure at first, but the mist receded slightly, and his face was revealed. Kurama's first thought was of his striking resemblance to Kuronue. If Kuronue had had steel gray hair and scorching fire-colored eyes flecked with gold, they would have been twins.

"Kurama, I'm scared. What's going on?" Mirakuru whispered. She was still behind Kurama, and though she was trembling, and her breathing grew faster, her voice stayed strong and steady.

"Get in the house." Kurama replied softly, edging her inside. Memory modification would be simple, the important thing now was keeping her alive. He pulled a rose from his hair and transformed it into his trademark rose whip with a single fluid motion. Kusari smiled defiantly, and backed away on his roof, beckoning Kurama to join him. Hoping to buy time to formulate a plan, he leapt up onto the rooftop, gaining even ground with Kusari.

They circled, Kurama warily, Kusari cold and calculating. They tested each other here and there, awaiting the other's first move. Suddenly, Kusari broke the circle, and shot an arrow down at the house before him.

_Shoot,_ Kurama thought furiously, _How could I have allowed him to fool me like that?_ He leapt down from the rooftop, and swatted the arrow away with his whip.

Hiei had been right. If Kurama hadn't allowed his emotions to control him, he could have remained focused and seen what Kusari had planned. Instead, he'd allowed his feelings to cloud his judgment. His mind full of his own thoughts, he'd forgotten the most important truism of battling: Nothing should take prevalence over vigilant analysis of your opponent's movements.

Kusari didn't lose his calm at all. He dodged the returning strike and shot an arrow that sealed the door shut, stopping Mirakuru from going inside Kurama's house. Kurama cracked the whip again, but Kusari merely dodged it again and fired another arrow. "Arrow of the Moonfire!" he cried.

Kurama dodged it nimbly, but instead of falling harmlessly to the ground, the arrow became binding chains that whipped around him, pinning his arms to his sides. They tightened until they threatened to crack his ribs, to suffocate him by crushing his lungs. Kurama growled in frustration, struggling in vain against his binds. The more he fought, the more painful the chains became, burning into his skin with a white-hot intensity.

Mirakuru, who had been sprinting away, mad the mistake of looking back to see Kusari advancing, bounding toward her. She screamed, and called out for Kurama as Kusari swooped in on her.

"Stop screaming, foolish girl. Who is there to hear you?" Kusari said, his voice hypnotic and soothing. "Who will help the ningen girl?"

Hearing Kusari croon so arrogantly infuriated Kurama, and he bellowed, letting fly a recklessly powerful aura blast, uncharacteristic for him, but lucky--it broke the chains.

Hiei had not been completely correct. In lieu of good judgment, Kurama's feelings had increased his power well beyond what he thought possible in human form.

He staggered forward with the extra effort, and focused on catching his breath and regrouping. Getting Kusari to talk would delay another attack. Hopefully.

"What the hell did you do to everyone!"

"I simply. . .put them to sleep." Kusari smiled cryptically.

Kurama's pulse quickened, and heat rose into his cheeks. "WHAT!" he cried breathlessly. He felt as thoughwhat breath he'd regainedhad been knocked out of him by a vicious punch to the stomach.

Still smiling, Kusari affected a slightly offended air. "Don't look at me that way. I don't lie. I meant what I said. Everyone is merely sleeping. The powers of this item are amazing." Kusari said with a menacing grin. He pulled what looked like an arrowhead from the quiver of arrows on his back. It glowed, then lengthened into the Takai Spear. He turned it over in his hands, studying the way it shone in the flickering light, admiring his handiwork. "Yes, all it took was a bit of modification, and it was simple to put the whole town into an enchanted slumber."

Fear took second place to anger. "YOU BASTARD!" Mirakuru screamed and lunged for the spear, but Kusari saw her coming and sidestepped her. A swift dropkick was the counterattack.

"Fiesty little bitch, huh?" Kusari said absent mindedly, vaguely impressed. He scrutinized Mirakuru, head cocked. "Pretty little thing. She'll make an ideal hostage."

"Don't hurt her! She has nothing to do with this!" Kurama snarled fiercely, masking his fear with rage.

"Au contraire, she does. I only kept you awake so you could see her die. But I'm in the mood to bargain today, so I'll let you pick. Save the town, or the girl. But hurry, the clock is ticking." The malicious grin never left his face.

"He chooses to save the town." Mirakuru snapped bravely, rising to her feet. "I don't know what's going on, but this is one way of avoiding my arranged marriage, right Kurama?" Her voice wavered, and she smiled weakly.

The color drained from Kurama's face. "What? Mirakuru!"

"I can't let a whole town die because of my selfish wish to live," she explained. She was crying now, but she still looked perfect to Kurama.

"Looks like your choice has been made for you." Kusari let out an energy blast that sent Mirakuru flying off the building. "So courageous," Kusari said a little ruefully. "If only I'd gotten to you first." With a wave of his cloak, Kusari vanished.

The fog lifted, and the sickly yellow aura dissipated, but natural light did not return. Apparently, the sun had set as Kurama was battling Kusari, the moon shrouded by clouds.

Kurama staggered, adrenaline and euphoria no longer keeping the pain at bay. His wounds were near fatal, and would have killed any normal human. Nausea enveloped him upon seeing the lifeless form lying beside the building. He checked for a pulse, fearing the worst. But there it was! It was faint, yes, but it was there. He let out a breath he didn't even know he was holding.

Then Botan appeared. Kurama's heart sank again.

"Kurama, I'm sorry. I have to take her to Reikai."

"What? But she still has a pulse!" If he experienced any more shocks, surprises or jolts today, Kurama was sure he'd have an aneurysm.

"She's at the point that death will claim her at any given moment. You have to let her go, Kurama." Botan's ease at delivering bad news was a result of her vocation, but her eyes betrayed the fact that no matter how many times she'd done this, the pain was just as fresh each time.

"Just let me try to heal her. I know I can." Kurama replied, picking up Mirakuru's lifeless body.

Botan felt tears of sympathy gathering in her eyes. "Alright. But don't set your heart on it." It was the first time she'd cried since her first case, a despondent suicide who'd expected life's pain to leave him at death.

Kurama gently laid Mirakuru on his couch, and brought out countless bottles, herbs and vials. He knelt by the couch and one by one tried each remedy on Mirakuru, but all were in vain. Her body had stabilized, but it was as if she had stopped trying to live. Had she been contemplating suicide? It suddenly hit him that he barely knew anything about Mirakuru. He rubbed his eyes sleepily, and sighed, resting his head on the couch next to Mirakuru's. He finally admitted to himself that he had fallen in love, and that he would do anything to see Mirakuru smile again. Before he had been in something like a stage of denial, thinking 'out of sight out of mind'. But now it was obvious that the more he tried to resist, the more his love grew. Apparently, abscence did make the heart grow fonder.

It was midnight now, and the dimly lit living room of Kurama's house looked decidedly ghostly, ethreal. He half expected the fireplace to come alive and swallow him whole. He stared straight ahead, trying not to think. Unbeknownst to him, he dropped off to sleep.

Several minutes later, theair next to Kurama glimmered, and Hinageshi appeared. "Kurama? Hey, wake up." The red-haired ferrygirl in training gently woke Kurama from his restless slumber. "The time has come. Botan sent me."

"Hinageshi, please. Give me till dawn. Can you bend the rules, just this once?" Kurama pleaded.

Hinageshi heard the desperation in Kurama's voice and nodded sadly. Her formshimmered and faded, leaving Kurama alone to his sad, lonely vigil.

By 5:00 a.m. Kurama was feeling miserable. He'd tried every remedy known to man, demon, and spirit, and made up several new ones. He glanced around the room in a half-hearted attempt to look for anything that might help. His eyes rested on the tiny bottle of Mermaid's Tears. He reached for it, and hesitated. _Koenma'll kill me. . .but who gives a damn?_

Before he could change his mind, he uncorked the bottle and poured a few crystalline drops into Mirakuru's mouth. Suddenly, her eyes opened wide, and were shining with a white light that was almost painful to see. Her body lifted up a few inches and floated in the air, glowing the same blinding light as her eyes. Then the light slowly faded, and Mirakuru sat up slowly. But now she wore a silver and midnight blue warrior's kimono, patterned with white casablancas (big white lilies) up the cuffed sleeves and bottom. Low-heeled slate blue ankle boots replaced her sandals. A black lacquer bodice laced up in the back with satin ribbon, with matching shoulder plates, and her hair was tied back like a preistess's with ninja stars adorning her headband. A light and versatile samurai sword hung at her hip.


	7. Power Revealed pt2

Authoress's Note-

Hmmmm...My writer's block took a vacation for the last two chapters. But it's back again. REVIEW YOU SCHMUCK!

"So, _she_ has been awakened." Kusari observed, watching Kurama and Mirakuru through a scrying pool full of brackish water, glassy like obsidian.

Yakunan had been crouched on a stool, studying the Takai Spear. Upon hearing this, he fumbled the spear and almost dropped it. "You mean. . .?" Yakunan gasped, looking up from where he'd been inspecting it.

"Yes, _her." _Kusari replied icily. "The White Wolf of the Moon."

"Then all has been for naught?" asked Yakunan, his beady eyes wide.

"No, not exactly." Kusari stroked his chin, an idea materializing in his mind. "In fact, this may even tip the scales in our favor. It will take a while for her to regain her full memories. If we can convince her that she's been lied to, the amulet is ours for the taking."

Yakunan mulled this over for a moment, then a frown creased his already lined face. "Kusari, you forget that she has befriended the Reikai Tantei. Surely they will be on full alert after that stunt you pulled yesterday."

Kusari heaved a small sigh. "Then we'll just have to eliminate them," he said simply.

"Mmm. . .Kurama?" Mirakuru pushed herself upright into a sitting position, but quickly slid back down and closed her eyes as the world swayed before her. She pressed her fingertips against them, and took several deep breaths. Blinking groggily, she attempted to sit up again. It was then she realized with a start what she was wearing.

"What happened? Why am I wearing. . .?" Mirakuru asked a bit suspiciously. Then she gasped and closed her eyes. "Oh, I remember now. We were attacked. But why does it feel like I have another, completely different set of memories? I mean, it's like someone's memories were implanted in my head. It seems like it's me in them, but it can't be because I'm right here."

"Tell me what those other memories are." Kurama replied worriedly.

Mirakuru closed her eyes in concentration. "Well, I remember a war. A horrible war that lasted for so long . . . it seems like I was a warrior. Then there's a big blank, and then I vaguely remember a big shape standing over me, whispering. . .I don't know." She frowned. "Spells? And then it ends abruptly."

Kurama shook his head. "This may come as a shock to you. . ."

"After what just happened, I'm more or less willing to believe anything." Mirakuru muttered, massaging her temples.

And so, Kurama began the whole tale, starting with how he really met Yusuke and the others, and leading up to their latest case. "And as records show, you used to be the elves' warrior princess, known as Mirakuru, the White Wolf of the Moon."

For a few long moments all Mirakuru could do was stare blankly, gaping at Kurama. "So you're telling me all those memories are really my past?" Her voice cracked in disbelief.

Kurama nodded tentatively. He wondered vaguely if Mirakuru would keel over from sheer shock.

Her eyes narrowed. "You're lying."

"No," Kurama insisted. "You see-"

"So, how's our princess feeling?" Botan chirped, materializing out of nowhere in a shower of glittering, bright blue sparks.

"Oh god. Now I'm seeing things." Mirakuru picked up a pillow and threw it at Botan, but missed wildly and instead hit the cobalt glass vase on the coffee table. It tottered precariously, then tipped over and fell to the floor with a crash.

"Do we need to sedate her?" Botan asked tentatively, eyeing Mirakuru in apprehension, who in turn was sizing up Botan with a slightly feral look in her eyes.

Kurama bit his lip. Then swore under his breath. With a swift, fluid movement, he jabbed Mirakuru's arm with a thorn hidden in his sleeve.

Her eyes went blank, and she swayed, but stayed upright.

"She won't be any trouble now," Kurama said softly, regret apparent in his voice.

Botan nodded. "We should take her to Reikai. I'd rather let King Enma do the explaining," she said with a sigh.

--------------------

It was nighttime in Reikai, when they arrived. All was still for once, no ogres running in and out of the palace, but there was still a faint glow coming from a window in the tallest tower. Koenma was still here.

Botan and Kurama were deposited by the portal into Koenma's office. The diminutive ruler peered at them over a stack of papers threatening to collapse and swamp the whole office.

"We've got a teeny little problem," Botan said, grinning.

"What?! Did something happen to Mirakuru?! Is she hurt!?" Koenma vaulted over the stack of papers and dashed towards them in a panic.

"To the contrary, Mirakuru's fine, thanks to Kurama's quick thinking!" Botan said hastily, lest Koenma have a heartattack.

Too late. A look of abject horror spread across Koenma's face.

"Erhm, Koenma sir, she's only slightly hypnotized. I told you, she's fine, thanks to Kurama."

"AND the Vial of Mermaid's Tears!" Koenma wailed. Eyes bulging, he gave a slightly hysterical giggle, snatching the half-empty vial from Kurama's hands. "I'm dead! DEAAAD!" he shrieked, sinking to his knees.

Kurama grinned apologetically and shrugged, unsure of how to respond to _that._

Meanwhile, the stunned look was beginning to clear from Mirakuru's eyes.

And for the second time since she woke up, Mirakuru was left in the dust, gaping like a fish. "A toddler? Ok, the other stuff was at least halfway believable, but this is completely, totally, absurd. I mean, a _toddler_!." Mirakuru mumbled half to herself, shaking her head.

"Mirakuru," Kurama gripped her shoulders firmly, but gently. "This isn't a dream. Believe me, I didn't want you to have to discover this part of yourself, but since it's happened, let us help you make the best of it."

Mirakuru met Kurama's gaze, her eyes pleading. "I don't know why, but my life's been turned upside down since I met you. Can you please just take me home?"

Kurama sighed. "No, I can't. I'm here with you, can't you see this isn't just a dream you can wake up from?"

Mirakuru blushed just a little. "Actually, you've been in so many of my dreams, I can barely separate them from memories." She slapped herself inwardly. No matter how much her mind told her she should be terrified to death of Kurama, she couldn't or perhaps wouldn't, allow her heart to give in to those fears. She kept on coming back to him, despite it all. It hit her. There was a name for her type of people.

Kurama bit his lip until it almost drew blood. It felt beyond good to hear those words, but he also knew that every time he found love, he lost it and ended up worse off than before. So why couldn't he just stop?! Torn between anger and frustration, he finally realized exactly what he was.

_I'm such a masochist! _Both Mirakuru and Kurama thought at exactly the same time.

"Is this why you told me you didn't love me?" Mirakuru asked softly.

Kurama nodded. There was no point denying it now. "Yeah."

"Now that I know, will you promise to always stay with me?" She looked away as she said this, staring instead out the window, where stars flecked the glossy sky.

The final wall around Kurama's heart crumbled, and his voice wavered with sincerity as he replied, "Yes."

"Are you willing to accept this world as your own now?" Koenma asked gently.

Mirakuru nodded resolutely.

It took upwards of an hour, but finally Mirakuru understood her role in the story playing out before them. She had been invariably cooperative, asking questions and trying hard to understand and accept. The others had been called to the office, to witness her new powers.

"So all this time, you all have been tantei?" Mirakuru asked.

"Yep!" Yusuke replied proudly. "We formed a protective ring around you, so nothing could harm you!" He put an arm around her neck, grinning impishly.

"Yeah, but where were you when Kusari attacked, huh?" Kurama hooked an arm around her waist and pulled her close to him.

Yusuke shrugged innocently. "Your shift, Kurama."

"Right, now that everything's been explained, let's see your new- I mean, old powers." Koenma said cheerfully.

"Uhh, okay." Mirakuru drew a 'c' in the air and formed the same glowing arrow and bow that Kusari had at the Senjouku building. She drew back the arrow and let it fly.

-BOOM-

She hit the bulls-eye Kuwabara had sloppily painted on Koenma's office's eastern wall, and on contact with it the arrow exploded, reducing the wall to a smoking pile of rubble.

Everyone oogled, their mouths gaping like fishes, looking at Mirakuru, then back at the hole, then back at Mirakuru, then back at the hole, then back at Mirakuru and so on and so forth.

"Aha ha haaa. . .Oops." Mirakuru apologized, rubbing the back of her head.

"M-my office. . ." Koenma moaned. Regaining his composure, he said: "You'll make a great new Spirit Detective with some training!"

"Wha! Just because she can suddenly shoot shiny arrows she can take my job!" Yusuke cried indignantly.

"And the fact that you can match Hiei in a swordfight . . ."

"Lucky swing," Hiei snapped, temper flaring.

"Makes her a perfect candidate! We don't' even have to waste time training her." Koenma continued, paying to heed to Yusuke's or Hiei's protests.

"WHAT AM I?! OLD SOCKS?!" Yusuke exploded.

"Mirakuru, I'm sure we all admire your bravery, but do you truly understand all the dangers that come with all this?"

Mirakuru nodded firmly. Now that she knew all this about Kurama and the others, she never wanted to go back to ignorance. Now she could protect them as they had protected her. It gave her a feeling of strength, of invincibility when she thought of that.

"Then it is done." Koenma said ceremoniously, stamping a piece of paper with a loud thump.

"Cool, I guess." Mirakuru replied. "Hey, are those my initiation papers?" She swiped them from underneath Koenma's nose.

"No. That's a telegram for some take-out teriyaki. I haven't eaten since-"

"TERIYAKI!" Everyone yelled in perfect unison.

Then their stomachs gurgled

"Exactly." Koenma replied smugly, putting the telegram into a little processor thing-a-ma-jig.

"Mirakuru, your pendant! It's absolutely lovely!" Botan exclaimed.

"That? It's moonstone. I've had it since forever, and it's probably pretty valuable. When she gave it to me, my mom said it was a sort of amulet. She said, 'If ever you are in need, just remember, the moon will guide you. Channel your energy through this amulet, and your aid will find you.' That was shortly before she died." Mirakuru explained, fingering the silver pendant.

The middle and largest moonstone was a pure, milky white, shaped in a crescent moon with stars arranged around it in a hoop. The stars were different colored moonstones, blue, pink, lavender and cream. The center stone was attached by a minute rod in the middle of the hoop, and it spun if you held it up in the wind. Strangely, it made a sweet whistling sound whenever Mirakuru was feeling a strong emotion. Once or twice it had even glowed.

"I'm sorry about that." Botan said.

"How can you stand it?" Mirakuru asked. "Your job deals with death every day. Do you become immune to it over time?"

"I don't know how I stand it. I know I'm not used to it, though. Becoming used to something like that would be sinful, you know?"

A small frown creased Mirakuru's brow. "I think that's why my father arranged a marriage for me. He figured it would be better if I never find the one I truly love, because then I wouldn't have to feel the pain caused by that person's death. Strange reasoning, but I don't blame him."

Botan chuckled. "But he didn't know that you can't look for true love. It finds you!" As she said that, Mirakuru smiled shyly and snuck a glance at Kurama.

Authoress's Note-  
Hn. I don't really like this chappie. Oh, well. An off day. But the next chappie is the start of a great finale!


	8. Truthfully Lying?

Bleargh. Is anyone even still reading this thing? Anyway, I took off the other fic because the moderators were complaining that it was more of an original story than a fic. Soo…..oh well, I suppose. Anyway. Let's continue, shall we?

----------------------------------

As the final shreds of night faded from the buttery yellow morning, an unearthly ruckus filtered through the windows of the tallest tower or the biggest building.

Kurama and company had spent the night in Reikai, mostly because Yusuke _had_ to have an initiation party for Mirakuru, and after six straight hours of beer (they actually got Koenma drunk) and loud, thumping music, no one felt like taking the long trip back to Nigenkai.

"So what do Reikai Tantei do, anyhow?" Mirakuru asked, probably one of the most sober in the room, addressing no one in particular.

"Well, basically we-" Koenma began, swaying on his toes.

"WE FIGHT!" Yusuke shouted, still _slightly_ tipsy from the beer. "AND FIGHT AND FIGHT AND FIGHT!" he continued, waving a beer bottle and singing at the top of his lungs, painfully off-key. "AND fig-ig-ight. . ." he wheezed, before falling into a deep, alcohol induced sleep.

"Ok, we do that too, but our main job is to-" Koenma started again.

"We clean up everyone else's messes." Hiei replied stonily. Unfortunately, that effect was killed by a slightly drunken hiccup.

"I wouldn't exactly call it that. It's more like-"

"We save hot girls! Like my Yukina. . .Yukina Yukina Yu Yu Yukiiiiiinaaaa" Kuwabara singsonged, still completely intoxicated.

"SHE'S NOT _YOUR_ YUKINA, YOU OVERGROWN CHIMPANZEE!" Hiei roared.

Believe it or not, 27 bottles of beer can make even Hiei drunk.

"CHIMPANZEE! (Well, the way our dear Kuwabara says it, it sounds more like "shi-pahm-shee") YOU WANNA PICK A FIGHT OR SOMETHING YOU STUPID LITTLE MOUSE! HAHAHAH MOUSEY MOUSEY MOUSEY!" Kuwabara babbled.

Hiei's eyes flashed red, and something in his mind snapped.

"GRABBLESHIZZAPOO!"

He lunged for Kuwabara, katana in hand. Then two disappeared into a swirling cloud of dust that occasionally emitted bloodcurdling screams.

"WHAT THE REKAI TANTEI DOES IS!" Koenma screamed shrilly, trying his best to make himself heard over the Kuwahiei cloud.

"We keep the peace between the three worlds." Kurama finished, the only one besides Mirakuru not to have touched any beer.

"NO WE DON'T! WE KEEP THE PEACE BETWEEN THE THREE WORLDS!"

Koenma exploded.

"That's what I said." Kurama sighed. _I knew Yusuke never should've given him all that beer. . .it's bad for a little kid like that . . . I can't believe that Mirakuru, Botan and I are the only ones not completely stoned._

"Good morning guys! Do you want your eggs sunny-side up or scrambled?" Botan beamed, bursting through the office door, brandishing a frying pan. A suspicious trail of smoke wafted through the door, following her.

The tendril of smoke drifted into Yusuke's nose, and his face twitched as he inhaled it. Then he inhaled a little too much for his lungs to handle, woke up, blinked, saw the smoke and promptly dove underneath Koenma's desk, shouting: "GAH! IT'S KUSARI! EVERYBODY DUCK AND COVERR!"

"YOU IDIOT! IT'S ME!" Botan yelled back and smacked him upside the head with her frying pan.

"Oh. My. God. Botan! You set my kitchen on fire!" Koenma screeched, jumping up and down frantically.

"YAHHHH!" George ran into the room, wielding a fire extinguisher. "Where's the fire?! WHERE'S THE FIRE?!?" He screamed madly. Then he spotted Koenma running around in little circles and sprayed him mercilessly.

"NOT ME! THE KITCHEN!" Koenma squawked, his voice taking falsetto to a whole new level.

"Oh. Gomen nasai, Koenma-san." George said calmly, entirely unperturbed after coating his employer in white foam. He grinned sheepishly and bowed before running out the door. Or, at least he tried to. Yakunan stopped him dead in his tracks.

Letting out an involuntary squeak, George turned a strange shade of indigo and joined Yusuke underneath Koenma's desk.

Yakunan resembled a squished marshmallow turned gray and moldy with age. His eyes sat wide apart on his flat face, and his jowls sagged to below his chin, on which grew a wart, on which grew a single hair. In short, he looked absolutely ridiculous. Worse yet, there was something like a giant toothpick sticking out from his forehead.

"I'm sorry to interrupt the comedy act, but I was sent here with orders." He advanced on Koenma, who was glued to the center of the room, trembling with fear.

In Tantei mode now, Yusuke got to his feet, and blocked Yakunan's path to Koenma with a flashy display of speed.

"Interrupt the act? Why? It would be so much more fun if you joined in," Yusuke grinned cockily, cracking his knuckles.

"Run," he hissed out of the corner of his mouth.

"I-I-I can't." Koenma said shakily.

"Grrr. . .Dammit!" Yusuke swore, and scrambled to knock Koenma out of the way, but found he was moving sluggishly, as though through molasses. "The hell?!" he cried, struggling to lift his feet.

"Interesting, isn't it? That just happens to be the psychic ability of my horn here." Yakunan grinned maliciously and tapped the "toothpick" protruding from his forehead.

"Hey! Marshmallow head! You don't scare me!" Kuwabara yelled brashly.

Yakunan's eyes narrowed and his pupils dilated: snake's eyes. His expression flickered from amusement to barely suppressed fury.

"You'll regret that." He snarled, glaring disdainfully at the bulky human. "Before I was simply going to take the twerp and his precious bottle here, but now I think I'll pay a visit to that Koorime you were talking about. Yukina, her name was?"

As Kuwabara turned a ghastly shade of blotchy white, Yakunan slung Koenma over his shoulder.

Mirakuru, meanwhile, found that if she concentrated her willpower enough, she could regain normal movement. She could sense that the horn's power was too weak to completely subdue more than three people.

"Arrow of the Moonfire!" Mirakuru traced the crescent to create the bow and arrows, but no trail of light formed, and no arrows solidified.

"What?" she gasped. Frowning, she reached up to her hair to use one of the ninja stars, but found nothing there. She glanced down and saw that the warrior's kimono had disappeared and she was wearing her normal street clothes.

"Aww, isn't that cute. The little princess is trying to summon an attack. Smooth move, thanks for letting me know who you are. C'mon girl." Yakunan bent down and picked up Mirakuru by the waist.

"PUT ME DOWN, YOU BASTARD!" she shrieked, more furious than scared. She jabbed her elbow against the small of Yakunan's back, where his spine should have been, and again at the base of his thick neck, two well known pressure points. To no avail. Yakunan looked more annoyed than hurt.

Yakunan blasted another hole in Koenma's office and leapt out. At about the same time, Kurama broke free of the spell and summoned an extra long rose whip that wrapped around Yakunan's leg. The rose whip tightened, but instead of stopping, Yakunan let go of his leg. Literally. Whatever marshmallowy substance he was made of writhed and bubbled, growing a new, stumpy leg in its place.

"May your soul burn." Mirakuru said bitterly when she saw there was no possible way to get back to Koenma's palace.

Yakunan snorted. "It's your so called Tantei that must burn. And the rest of Reikai," he growled.

"Why?" Mirakuru asked, falling neatly into the trap.

"Because if they hadn't deserted the Elves at the last battle, you would have lived out the life meant for you, a normal life, and never been reincarnated."

That stopped Mirakuru in her tracks. _Could it possibly be that. . .? No way, what am I thinking? Kurama told me the story, Kuronue had become a thief! But what if he lied?_

"How could a whole people have been wiped out by one battle?" Mirakuru challenged.

"The Elves were never numerous. They didn't have a country, so to speak, more like a large city, situated at a median point between the other four worlds. They were keepers of the peace, extremely long lived, more so than all the other races. A child was born every 50 years or so." Yakunan shifted his grip on Mirakuru, jolting Koenma in the process. He smirked viciously. "Once the Elves were overcome, and their city destroyed, then the Reikai jumped in."

"Shut up." Koenma said. He glared at Yakunan. "You know that's not true. Stop telling her lies."

"You're in no position to tell me to shut up. And let's leave this up to her. She's old enough to chose what she believes in, wouldn't you agree?"

Moments later, they arrived at Kusari's fortress, called the Mydariga. Its banners were ripped and torn, their bright colors faded. The fortress must have been the center of economy a long time ago. Now it looked more like a tomb.

"Put me down, damn you! I'm perfectly capable of walking." Mirakuru said giving Yakunan a solid kick in the chest.

"And let you escape? Do I look that stupid?" he scoffed. Then he noticed the wry looks on Koenma's and Mirakuru's faces, and realized what he'd just said. "On second thought, don't answer that question." he muttered, wrenching open the rusty padlock and shoving open the door.

He lumbered down a long corridor, and turned into a smaller hallway. There were no doors in this hallway, only a tapestry on the far end that hid an angular silhouette.

"Put her down, Yakunan." A familiar voice said from behind the curtain. "Stay in the corridor with the twerp. I want to talk to our little princess."

Just hearing Kusari's voice made Mirakuru shudder, but she did her best to appear brave and strong. She took a deep breath and pushed aside the musty red cloth.

"What do you want with me?" she demanded.

"Nothing more than to tell you the truth about your beloved Tantei."

"You didn't have to take me by force." Mirakuru said calmly. It was hard to keep herself from flying into a rage, but she knew her life depended on her ability to keep Kusari talking.

"But then you'd have resisted me and made this a whole lot harder. Now let me speak with no further interruptions. I'll start with Kuronue. He was the heir to the throne of elves. He was falsely accused of theft, and executed. What's worse, you beloved Kurama did nothing to save him as the Reikai police took him down. He simply watched from a distance. Then they throw me and my partner into jail. For what? Trying to take what is rightfully ours. And what does this have to do with you? Well, now you're next in line for the throne, which means you'll never have a normal life again. This all King Enma's fault. If he hadn't waged war with the demons, the elves would never have died, and you would have lived out your fated life, and would not have been reborn. So do you see our side of the story, princess?"

Mirakuru's breath caught in her throat.

"Y-yes." She stammered, turning over his words in her mind. They were certainly plausible, especially since her memory was still fuzzy around the edges. But how could they, who were so kind, betray her? And how could she betray them? Yet, Kusari was Elven, as was she. Why would he, one of the few remnants of her race, lie to her? Kusari's words were like numbing poison. Now she truly started to doubt her friends.

"I do see your side of the story," she admitted guiltily.

"Good. Now, all we need is the amulet, and all will go according to my plan. Do you know where the amulet is?"

This stopped her in her tracks. "I did not say I believed you, merely that I saw your side of the story," Mirakuru replied angrily.

"With your amulet, you can regain the full content of your memories, and realize the fullest extent of your power," Kusari soothed. "It is nothing but a good thing," he droned, his voice monotonous velvet.

Mirakuru almost reached up to finger her necklace. But something stopped her. Her intuition told her never to give up this amulet, that somehow it was the key to a happy ending. She really wasn't sure who to believe, but the amulet seemed like something she should never give away. And how could she be sure it was the right amulet, anyway?

"No, I don't know anything about an amulet." Mirakuru replied firmly.

"Are you sure? Search your memory. It will revive all elves that were reborn, and then we can take vengeance on--"

"No!" Mirakuru snapped. "I told you, I don't have it!"

Kusari glared at her, but it was beyond his power to read her mind. "Fine," he snarled. "Yakunan will show you to your quarters," he said tersely, and left the room with a swishing of heavy cloth.


	9. Mydariga

Authoress's Note- Anywhoo, this is going to be the second to last chapter, unless I decide to make the battle scenes all emotional and drawn-out. So0o0o0o don't you hate cliffhangers? (grins evilly) Mu hahaah! Well, this is going to be another suspenseful chapter, so if you hate cliffhangers, I suggest you leave as of now. Bwahahah. You were warned. . .

-------------------------

"We have to act _now._" Kurama said firmly.

"We can't!" Yusuke snapped. "Fighting Kusari yesterday took more than you think. Your Reiki isn't half as strong as it usually is. Even Hiei and I aren't at full power! Yakunan's horn stole power from each of us to cast his spell. Not to mention that bomb Yakunan planted when we were all stoned nearly blew off Kuwabara's head!"

He gestured wildly at Kuwabara, who was pressing a bag of frozen peas to an grapefruit-sized lump on his head.

"In short, we are all out of commission!" Yusuke hissed, his foul mood not helped by Kurama's stubborn insistence.

------------------------

__

"Damn!" Yusuke pounded his fist against the wall. "Damn damn damn!"

How could they have let their guard down so much that an enemy like Yakunan could slip in undetected? Sadly, they all knew the answer to that. Foolishly, carelessly, they had taken it for granted that their enemies wouldn't attack in Reikai.

Kurama swore under his breath, running his fingers through his scarlet hair.

"That cannot have just happened." Kuwabara muttered.

"Well, it did!" Hiei scowled darkly, his eyes flashing obsidian.

Then, Kuwabara glimpsed something out of the corner of his eye.

"Hey you guys, somehow I sense an aura around that rock." Kuwabara pointed to a strangely smooth, dull gray stone in the midst of the ruined office. As Kuwabara watched it, the aura made itself visible around the stone's claylike surface. It glowed and pulsed, throbbing gently, like a beating heart. Mesmerized, he reached out to grab it.

Hiei opened his Jagan and focused on the strange rock. Then his eyes widened and he shouted: "Don't touch that rock! It's a b-"

--BLAM--

The detonation of the bomb was deafening, but it did nothing to lessen the roar of the roof caving in, the growling of the crumbling walls, or the whooshing hiss of the leaping flames. The entire top half of the building shattered with the impact, raining down soot and ash. The bottom half of the building cracked under the pressure, and swayed, threatening to give way. Thankfully, it didn't, but the fire was slowly consuming what was left.

The Tantei had been blown backwards by the force of the bomb, and buried in falling debris. Scorching heat permeated the air, and the clouds of dust were stifling. Putrid winds fanned the flames. Could anyone have survived that?

Then the rubble began to vibrate, and one by one the Tantei emerged, bruised and battered, but not mortally wounded. All except for Kuwabara.

"Kuwabara?!" Yusuke called out. "Kuwabara?!?!" He yelled, almost choking on the fumes.

All their hearts sank when there was no answer. Even Hiei cursed softly.

Frantic now, Yusuke began pawing among the rubble until he saw Kuwabara's carrot hair. With the frenzied determination of a squirrel digging up his cache, Yusuke tugged fervently at the orange tuft of fuzz that protruded from the desolation.

All at once, Kuwabara's head popped out. He would have a brilliant set of black eyes the next day.

Despite that, and the fact that he was unconscious and barely breathing, everyone heaved a collective sigh of relief and caught their breaths. And lost them again once they saw what Yusuke did next.

"Wake up, idiot!" Yusuke screamed in his ear and slapped him so hard it left a handprint on his cheek.

"GAH! What was that!" Kuwabara yelped, waking instantly.

"Are you okay?" Yusuke asked worriedly, nothing but concern in his eyes.

Hiei rolled his eyes at the sheer idiocy of the humans. "A bomb just exploded in his hands, how do you think he feels?" He snorted.

"Well, Hiei's perpetual sarcasm hasn't diminished in the slightest, so I think we can conclude that none of us should be considered fatalities," Kurama commented wryly.

"Other than some first degree burns, a couple of broken ribs, and a mild concussion, I think I'm ok." Kuwabara said, rubbing his head. "Aha ha ha. . .oww. . ."

-----------------------

"Then I'll go myself." Kurama said, his expression emotionless, his voice flat and dry, his eyes strangely devoid of emotion.

"Need I point out we have not the slightest clue where they frickin went?!" Yusuke cried in exasperation.

And that was the straw that broke the fox's back. Kurama dropped his emotionless facade and waves of sadness, anger, guilt, and fear washed across his face. He sat down heavily amid the rubble, lest his knees give way beneath him.

He buried his face in his hands, mumbling, "I can't just sit here and wonder what they're doing to her. Every time I stop to think, images of the worst possible torture invade my mind. Yusuke, how would you feel if it was Keiko?" He looked up, and his eyes implored Yusuke, saying what his voice didn't.

Yusuke sighed, knelt down beside him, and patted Kurama on the shoulder soothingly. "I'm sorry. We're all a bit tense. Let's start over. Hi, I'm Yusuke." He shook Kurama's hand vigorously. "We're going to be the best of friends, fox boy. Can I call you fox boy?"

Kurama chuckled hoarsely, and gave Yusuke a pained smile. He was sure his cheeks were cracking. "Thanks. I needed that. But what are we going to do?"

"There are two obvious answers. A, we sit around here like cowards or B, we find the Mydariga and make sure the two of them die a long painful death." Hiei cut in, holding a slightly burned map he pulled from the pile of smoldering ashes that used to be Koenma's desk.

"Oh, hell yea! Go Hiei!" Yusuke cheered. He grabbed Kuwabara's hands and did a little jig. "C'mon Hiei!" Yusuke pulled Hiei into his twisted little dance and chanted: "Going to the fortress, the fortress! We're going to the fortress to kick Kusari's ass! Wheee!" Yusuke let go of Kuwabara and Hiei's hands, causing Hiei to fly into Kurama, and Kuwabara into both of them.

"Stop the room, I'd like to get off please. . ." Kuwabara mumbled dizzily.

Hiei was ghastly pale, and a strange shade of lavender was making its way across his cheeks. "Yusuke, I pity Keiko when you do your wedding waltz."

Kurama shook his head, torn between wanting to strangle Yusuke or hug him. With that, the four of them set out for the Mydariga, Fortress of Nightmares, sure that they would pull through somehow.

Unfortunately, a cloud of gray pallor descended lower and lower the closer they got to the fortress, until finally it enshrouded them completely.

"Here we are." Yusuke murmured, staring dazedly at the gargantuan mass of stone. Before, he'd been burning with the fire of fight,. Now he only felt a vague cold suffusing his body.

"Hn. Ironic how something that once symbolized hope is now home to the two of the most vile creatures ever to set foot in Makai." Hiei muttered, kicking a stone across the ruined threshold.

"Uh, hope?" Kuwabara asked, clueless once again.

"Didn't you know that this used to be the elves' stronghold? It was where conventions were held, kind of as a neutral ground for Makai, Reikai, and Ningenkai." Kurama explained. "But this was a long time ago, and after the war it was decided that it was best if only a few select ningens knew about Reikai and Makai. Unfortunately this backfired, eventually causing the kidnapping of Yukina and the organization of the Dark Tournament."

Bored already with the short history lesson, Kuwabara sighed loudly. "Well, are we going in or what?" He walked up to the door and yanked on the handle. It was dry with centuries of rust and brittle as a piece of glass.

"Oopsie." Kuwabara laughed sheepishly as the handle came off in his hand.

"Then let's just make a new door." Yusuke pointed his finger at the door and shouted "Spirit G--mmph!"

Kurama, Hiei and Kuwabara all had clapped their hands over Yusuke's mouth at the same time, oblivious to the fact that they were strangling him.

"Do you really want to the let the whole damn castle know we're here!" Hiei hissed. "Even the Neanderthal realizes that!"

"Yeah! Isn't it obvious, Urameshi? Wait, who're you calling a Ne- a Ne-" Kuwabara paused and mentally scratched his head. "A neantherderal?"

"It's pronounced 'Neanderthal', and I couldn't have been referring to you because you're a particularly noble Australopithecus."

Kuwabara shot Hiei an extremely distrustful look, and Kurama debated about whether he should let Kuwabara know what an Australopithecus was, or whether ignorance truly was bliss. Meanwhile, Yusuke was turning an unnatural shade of blue.

"MMMPHH!" Yusuke screamed thickly, thrashing wildly.

They glanced down, realized that turning blue wasn't normal for humans, and leapt back, allowing Yusuke the privilege of breathing.

"Next time you guys decide to strangle me, give me a warning!" Yusuke gasped.

As soon as the Spirit Detective recovered his breath, it was decided that they should split up. Despite the potential danger, it was the only way to find Mirakuru and Koenma quickly. After heated debate, it was decided that Hiei was to find Yakunan, Yusuke and Kuwabara went off to find then pulverize Kusari, and Kurama was to free the captives.

As Kurama crept through the damp and dark fortress he found himself thinking about what would happen after all this was resolved. Things could never be the same with him and Mirakuru. But now that she knew the truth and had realized her powers, didn't that mean--? He stopped himself.

__

I hate that feeling. That helplessness that comes with not knowing what comes next. I hate not knowing what I should do, and how no amount of intellect can make known what happens next in this grotesque game of cat and mouse.

Picking his way through the dimly lit corridor, Kurama used a long vine to avoid getting lost. The Mydariga's labyrinthine tunnels were menacing in the torchlight, and they reminded Kurama of the bowels of a fearsome creature. He glanced at the wall sconces and immediately wished he hadn't--they looked suspiciously like skulls. Forcing himself not to think about it, he hurriedly moved on.

Kurama!

"Now I'm hearing voices. I should get ready to retire," Kurama sighed to himself. "I'm not sure I can take much more of this."

Kurama! Kurama!

This time Kurama was sure it wasn't the stress of the past days that was wreaking havoc with his mind. He paused and glanced around. Then he frowned. The voice was familiar, but also very faint. He could barely hear it, even though it was dead silence all around.

Kurama! Please! Help me!

This time, the voice was louder and more frantic. Then Kurama caught on. "Mental telepathy. That's why Mirakuru's voice sounded different." In his mind, he called out: _Mirakuru! Are you all right? Where are you?_

I'm fine. It took you long enough to realize it was me. Go down the left corridor and turn right. Continue straight, then when you meet a dead end, kick the third brick from the bottom.

"Mirakuru!" Kurama bounded to the cell door, then used the stem of a rose to pick the lock. He untied her bindings and asked urgently: "Where's Koenma? And Kusari and Yakunan?" Then he stopped short upon seeing the look in her eyes. There was something wrong with her eyes. He couldn't explain it, but they weren't _hers_

"Kurama, glad to see you came to my rescue." Mirakuru's face elongated, her voice deepened, and her eyes changed to a fiery reddish gold.

"Kusari! What have you done!?" Kurama cried in disgust.

"No need to overreact. Princess and Koenma are right here." Kusari's demeanor was infuriatingly cold.

Two ceiling stones slowly descended, until they dangled a few feet above Kurama and Kusari's heads. Then their rock-like appearance melted away, and became cages with metal bars. Mirakuru and Koenma became visible, and it looked like Kusari was true to his word.

"Let them go." Kurama said calmly. Even though his voice was no louder than normal, there was a deadly, knifelike edge to it that made a shiver go down Mirakuru and Koenma's spines.

"As you wish." The cages clicked open, and Mirakuru and Koenma fell into the waiting leaves of Kurama's plant.

The stone floor disappeared, revealing a glass floor with a moat filled with demon fish from the Makai. If Kurama hadn't caught them, Mirakuru and Koenma would've broken through the glass and fallen into the waiting jaws of the fish.

"How did you know?" Kusari asked, more annoyed than angry.

"Simple. This glass sounds different than stone when it is stepped upon." Kurama's emerald eyes flashed. "I see you're looking at my plant. This same plant that saved my two comrades could just as easily slay you." Kurama said in that same deadly tone of voice. He was beginning to sound more like Youko with every passing moment.

"I seriously doubt that. But I'm willing to prove you wrong." Kusari powered up, calling upon his white-hot aura.

Kurama raised his Rose Whip, but Kusari was much faster. Kurama was blasted into the wall, and lay there, barely conscious as Kusari advanced menacingly. He struggled to get up, but his wounds from the other day had reopened, and were bleeding profusely.

"STOP! Kusari, leave him alone. This is between us." Mirakuru walked up bravely. For a few moments she was engulfed in light, then she reappeared in her warrior form. "I was the source of this fiasco, so it seems only fitting that I should be the one to end it as well."


	10. Revival

"Surprise," Mirakuru said, an ironic smirk on her face. She slowly and deliberately walked to Kurama and planted her feet in front of him in a fighting stance, her gaze never flickered, her courage never wavered. Her left hand held her sword's sheath and her right hand rested on the hilt in a ready position.

"I understand now why my powers had disappeared. Deep in my heart, I wanted a normal life, I wanted nothing to do with my powers. But seeing the one I care about hurt, I know I must stay strong to realize my destiny with all my heart and soul."

Flashback—

__

Mirakuru, only five or four years old, stood in a hospital room. Tears were flowing freely from her eyes as she laid her head down on the hospital bed. Her mother was dying.

"Mirakuru, take this amulet." The woman on the bed slowly lifted her hands and unclasped the necklace she wore. Even this simple gesture seemed like a painful struggle. "Wear it proudly, and remember that your destiny relies on what's in your heart." And with those final words, she closed her eyes and died, looking calm, peaceful, and most of all, content.

End flashback—

"I never understood what she meant until now. This amulet is the key to my destiny. Its power, my power, changes with my heart's desire. And now, my desire is to save my people, the world, from you!" Mirakuru drew her sword and slashed at Kusari with surprising speed. Taken aback, Kusari ducked and dodged it, but only barely. Mirakuru's blade had severed several strands of steel gray hair.

"Look what these so called Tantei have done to you. You've gone soft. The princess I know would have joined me instantly." Kusari glared at her, disgust apparent in his eyes. He bared his teeth and wrinkled his nose, as if the very scent of her nauseated him. Kusari's face was growing more canine with every second, his cold beauty quickly disappearing.

"I am not _your_ princess." Mirakuru snapped harshly. "You forget that I share her soul, her memories. I know what you did. You manipulated us! You played our darkest fears, our deepest wishes!" Unflinchingly matching his glare, she brandished her sword. "And to the contrary, you'll find that I've grown _much_ stronger."

"Blinded by love!" Kusari shrieked, as if the words caused him physical pain. "They destroyed our nation! Everything we loved and cherished gone in an instant!" Snarling, he leapt at Mirakuru, slashing at her with his knifelike nails.

"You delusional fool!" Mirakuru spat as she parried his blow with a crescent kick. Pirouetting nimbly into the air, she struck back, the heel of her foot colliding neatly with his shoulder. Kusari skidded back a few feet, his nails screeching on the stony floor.

"You don't remember our past! You remember only what you want to believe!" Mirakuru's eyes flashed coldly, all sympathy lost. "It was _you _who led us to our deaths!"

"I suppose your precious Tantei told you that." Kusari snapped. "Well, this is what I think of your Tantei!" He scowled at Kurama, who had struggled to his feet, and was now leaning against the wall.

Kusari's eyes gleamed dementedly, and he lashed out, infusing his hair with reiki as a mockery of Kurama's rose whip.

Gritting his teeth, Kurama pushed himself off the wall and dodged, landing heavily with a small gasp of pain.

Furious, Mirakuru was on Kusari in an instant, her immense stores of pent-up reiki overwhelmingly powerful after so many years of lying dormant. She slammed him into the wall, where Kurama manipulated the vines to slither around him and enchain him.

"You bastard." Mirakuru said angrily. "You want to know what happened? My memories may not be complete, but at least they are accurate." She clapped her hands together and chanted:

****

Memories locked in time

Power reborn in me, awaken!

Slowly she spread her hands apart, a glowing hologram materializing between them, like an exquisite snowglobe. It showed a younger Kusari, sprinting in the dead of night. He darted here and there, using the shadows for cover. He slowed and stopped at a ruined temple, kneeling by a figure in the shadows. "Great King, the elves attack at dawn. They number 10,000 strong."

"Good. And the Reikai warriors shall be with them?"

"Yes. You may kill all of Reikai, but the elves shall remain safe, will they not?" Kusari implored, disgustingly servile.

"I will stay true to my word," the figure in the shadows replied, with a bored air. "Though it shall be hard to separate them. They have been most faithful to Reikai."

"That matters not. As soon as they see the powers my lord possesses, they will realize their foolishness."

The figure glowered at him ominously. "For your sake, I hope you are right. If the battle goes as planned, your payment awaits you."

The snowy scene dissipated and the sun dawned on the next day.

Scores of Elves were lined up in battle formation, but not a single Reikai warrior was to be seen.

"**Damn."** King Yakumo growled, pounding his fist against his desk. "That bastard Kusari will pay. Assemble the troops and prepare for battle."

Kusari, overhearing this, dashed outside, thinking to steal away in the chaos of battle.

Unfortunately, the Makai Demon warriors were trained to revile pity, and slaughtered him along with the rest of the elves.

"That was Reikai's fault!" Kusari shouted in anguish, interrupting the gruesome scene playing out in Mirakuru's fingers.

"No, it wasn't. My father, King Emerarudo, knew what you were planning. He purposely said that to trick you. But keep watching. It's not over yet."

Once again, the scene morphed.

Bodies were strewn everywhere, and what was left of Kusari, lay in a pit, lifeless. But he wasn't truly dead. Not yet. His soul still resided in his body, and his heart's desire became fiercer than ever. The surrounding area reeked of excess demon magic, which responded to the agony in his heart. All the elven souls not yet gone to Reikai were reborn in different bodies.

"And that's how it ended." Mirakuru concluded, her frosty gaze still on Kusari. "But nothing ever goes as planned with demon magic. So while all our souls were preserved, they were scattered across time and space. Some became human, some demon, some Reikai juunin." (juunin means inhabitant. I didn't know what else to call people from Reikai)

"Now do you understand? It was your fault that we were all reborn. Your fault that Kuronue's reincarnation was botched. He remembered nothing of his past, but knew that if he lost his amulet some unspeakably calamitous would happen. That instinct was what led him to his death."

Kusari cast a scornful glance at Mirakuru, his teeth bared. "I see that so-called demon magic did it's work on your soul as well. You are not the same princess that led the elven into battle that day. You are nothing but a shadow, an echo, a crude remnant!"

Kusari's fury manifested itself in an explosion of power that filled the room with blistering heat and light. When the light faded, Kusari stood before them, Kurama's vines scattered in smoldering shreds around him.

A flurry of rose petals swirled through the smoke, their razorlike edges slashing at Kusari, but his aura burned them all before they touched him. Then, an opalescent white arrow sliced through the smoke, flying straight at Kusari's temple. He whirled around and deflected the arrow with his palm, laughing derisively.

Suddenly, the smoke was swept away by a pure, uncorrupted wind and Kusari's expression changed to true horror as he saw Mirakuru leap and draw her katana. _Damn! Her signature attack!_

"Shiroi Urufu Shichiyou Heijin! (white wolf moon blade)" Mirakuru shouted, bringing her sword down with all her power.

Kusari summoned his Reiki to his hand and blocked it, but it wasn't enough. The power of the sword had broken though his Reiki and inflicted a deep wound on his hand. Calling forth his last reserves of power, Kusari infused his blood with life energy and thrust Mirakuru back, throwing her against the wall. Her Shiroi had greatly drained Kusari, but it hadn't finished him off. Now, Mirakuru struggled to keep her eyes open. The Shiroi was a final attack, and it took a while for the user to recover from using it. That was a serious drawback.

Kusari unclipped the Takai Spear from his belt. "I suppose you're wondering why I didn't just use this in the first place. The truth is, I wanted you to suffer, for choosing to side with Reikai, therefore betraying your people. You brought this upon yourself!" He gloated, savoring the moment.

Suddenly, he froze. The air seemed deadly quiet, and an unbelievable Reiki was coming from behind him. Slowly, Kusari turned around, all color draining from his face as he gazed into the ferocious maw of one of Kurama's death plants. Kurama stood at its side stoically, his aura blazing around him, arms folded across his chest. His eyes had glazed over into a jewel-like hardness, and the gusts of aura that billowed around him toyed with wisps of his hair and his ragged robes.

Kusari locked eyes with Kurama once, perhaps to plea for mercy. But Kurama's eyes simply stared back at him, pitilessly. In a panic, Kusari tried to stab the plant, but to no avail. The Makai plant swallowed him whole. It drained the remaining life energy from him then spat his mangled body back out. The golden fire in his eyes was extinguished, and he plagued the world no more.

Kurama strode over and stood over Kusari's dead body. "It is still the Getsurei. Your reign of Shikyo will never come to pass." He said solemnly. He pried the Takai Spear from Kusari's still clutching grasp and plunged it through his heart, instantly incinerating him. "May your soul never return."

"Kurama, that was stunning!" Botan gushed, regaining her speech once Kusari had been vanquished. "Once again we owe you our lives! Well, half of them go to Mirakuru this time," Botan amended cheerily. "But did you use too much of you Reiki summoning the – Kurama!"

During the battle, fury and adrenaline had kept the pain in check. However, now Kurama had nothing to distract him from it, and he gasped, doubling over as he willed himself to stay conscious.

Koenma, who had been cowering in fear for the last twenty minutes, was suddenly standing by his side trying to staunch the bleeding. "Kurama! Kurama, don't pass out!"

Botan dropped to her knees to tend to Mirakuru. She opened her mouth to say something, then stopped abruptly as her breath caught in her throat. The moonstones on Mirakuru's pendant began to glow and a strange melody wafted its way to their ears, a haunting wordless tune. Then, one by one, many other voices started joining in, until there was a whole chorus of voices. They reverberated around the room, resonating off the stone walls. Figures began appearing, and several crouched around Kurama. Something sparked from their fingers, and Kurama slowly revived, his wounds healed and Reiki returned.

"So this is it." Koenma murmured. "The foretold revival of the Elves."

Authoress's note-- Nother long chappie. Anyhoo, just thought u'd like to know that Getsurei means Age of the Moon, and shikyo means death. And i just noticed, Yakunan/Yakumo. Hmm...oh well. Wondering why the authoress's note is in the back? Well, I didn't want to spoil the suspense!

Guy #1-- Suspense! What suspense!

Guy #2 -- Yeah! Stick to your comedy you schmuck!

Me -- Hey...schmuck is MY word...


End file.
